According to the statement issued by the ministry Friday, shop owner Ahmed al-Anzi molested the boy and then strangled him with a length of rope. He then stabbed the boy's father to death when the man came looking for his son.

Child molesters, and child killers, should always suffer the most horrific pains imaginable.

From the Fox News affiliate in Dallas comes word that one Marine veteran's bumper stickers are under attack by his homeowners association as prohibited "advertising":

Otherwise, the homeowners association for The Woodlands II on The Creek --- where Larimore has lived for eight years --- says in a letter it will tow the car at Larimore's expense. The board also threatens to fine him $50 for any future incident.

Not that this is any different than the Bush administration's stance on the Kingdom of Saud, it isn't. American foreign policy has been consistent in cow-towing to the Wahabi thugs who financed 9/11, and who continue to finance the spread of the underlying ideology of hate.

The Obama administration is supporting efforts by the Saudi royal family to defeat a long-running lawsuit seeking to hold it liable for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The Justice Department, in a brief filed Friday before the Supreme Court, said it did not believe the Saudis could be sued in American court over accusations brought by families of the Sept. 11 victims that the royal family had helped finance Al Qaeda. The department said it saw no need for the court to review lower court rulings that found in the Saudis’ favor in throwing out the lawsuit.

Someday we'll be rid of the bastards. Unfortunately I expect any regime change in Saudi Arabia will be for the worse, not for the better.

Will June 30th be the day which goes down in history when Muslims in the West finally had enough from the Islamist traitors in their midsts and began to clean house? Or is this just a one time deal where the Muslim community in Luton had enough of the bad press and just wanted Omar Bakri Mohammad's followers to shut up because they don't enjoy being in the lime light? Hope springs eternal, or so they say:

The latest violence erupted as arguments raged between fellow Muslims shortly after Friday morning prayers in the Bury Park area of the town...

As the radical Muslims began to set up their stall, they were surrounded by a crowd shouting 'we don't want you here' and 'move on, move on'...

Angry words were exchanged and scuffles broke out between members of both groups, with the extremists shouting 'Shame on you' and 'Get back to your synagogue'.

The moderates chanted 'Out, Out, Out', and after an uneasy stand-off, police officers were able to persuade the extremist group to leave the area.

Awesome.

Over at the Islamic Awakening forum -- where British Islamists like to hang out online -- the big fight is over whether to declare the "moderates" apostates or to give them a pass -- forgive them for they know not what they do.

Ironically, the commenter who posts the most rational defense of the "moderates" who opposed the Islamists also reveals the depth of the problem Europe has with its Muslim population. Umar Khaleel writes:

Firstly it is important for all the brothers and sisters to understand that at the end of the day this is the UK. They have allowed you to live in this country, they have given you the same rights as they have given their own people, they have allowed for Islamic Shops to be open, they have allowed to keep your own Islamic identity, they have allowed Mosques to be constructed, and yet; how do we, as Muslims, thank them back?

Secondly, if you do not like the British troops, fair enough, but at the end of the day this is their country and if their people have a commitment to a mission in Iraq or anywhere else it is not appropriate for any Muslim, who lives in their country under their laws, to come up and 'demonstrate' by humiliating the Troop's families and friend and thus harming the image Muslim community in that manner. [emphasis mine]

While he is arguing against Muslims protesting British troops, notice the duality he assumes between Muslims, as a separate nation and identity vs. the British. Thus he claims that all Muslims living in Britain are, in fact, foreigners.

To reiterate the point he ends with this:

Finally I would like to remember everyone that we are in this country as guests. How would we react if some white people (I'm not being rasicst or something) would come, live in our streets, and chant abusive language at our brothers and fathers? And Allah knows best. [emphasis in the original]

So, while I welcome the position of UmarKhaleel, I must reject the argument's premise. British Muslims are not guests in the UK, they are British.

The root of Britain's problem with home-grown terrorists is that even so-called moderates in the UK often take the position of UmarKhaleel: Muslims are not and cannot be British.

The same problem exists all over Europe. It is not so prevalent in the United States where assimilation has been the norm.

If one begins the premise that the Ummah is your nation, Muslim is your nationality, and that the place and the people you reside with are aliens then you are one step closer to supporting violence against your fellow countrymen. If sociology has taught us one thing it is that people are much less likely to commit acts of violence against other people of the same "tribe".

As long as Muslims see themselves as part of the "tribe of Islam" rather than as fellow citizen of the nation state they live in, then the efforts of non-Islamist moderates will be in vain.

When an openly gay high school senior was voted prom queen at his Los Angeles high school last weekend, the school's students and officials not only accepted it, they basked with pride in being one of the most diverse and tolerant schools in the nation.

Why can't Johnny read? In large part because his school officials are idiots. The Queen was crowned not because high school teenagers have suddenly become thoughtful, tolerant young adults, but because they thought it was funny.

May 29, 2009

Habeleen, Lahj, Yemen May 27, 2009 A protester is draped in the flag of the formerly independent South Yemen which merged with North Yemen in 1990.

On the heels of earlier bloody protests in Aden on May 21 that resulted in ten deaths and nearly a thousand arrests, last week saw continuing unrest in south Yemen in many provinces. New arrests and civilian injuries were reported in several cities. Several times when the Yemeni government forced pro-unity demonstrations, the crowds instead began chanting pro-independence slogans, and the gatherings turned into clashes. In some cases, the protests were in reaction to the earlier arbitrary arrests of protesters in south Yemen. The institutional media blackout continues in an attempt to limit national and international awareness of the southern independence movement.

May 25 There was a demonstration was in Abyan, reportedly attended by tens of thousands.

May 27 A large anti-government rally was held in Dahlie

May 27 Radfan, one of the hot spots of the protests since 2007, held another large protest.

May 27 Habeleen in Laehj saw demonstrations as well.

May 28 A protest in Al-Shehr in Hadhramaut resulted in many injuries and about 30 arrests when the army responded with force.

May 28 Several demonstrations were held in Lahj including a large gathering in the capital, al Houta. The regime had organized a forced pro-unity demonstration supporting President Saleh, but the people began repeating slogans for calling independence and a republic with its capital Aden. Hundreds were arrested in Lahj, among them dozens of students.

May 28, Also in Lahj, in Yafea, demonstrations were held in Al Maflehi and Alasadi cities.

Note the pin Phil Spector wore to court today. He was sentenced to 19 years to life for the murder of Lana Clarkson. At least his lawyers had sense enough to have him remove it before he entered the courtroom.

On behalf of the people of the United States, President Obama congratulates the people and government of Israel on the 61st anniversary of Israel’s independence. The United States was the first country to recognize Israel in 1948, minutes after its declaration of independence, and the deep bonds of friendship between the U.S. and Israel remain as strong and unshakeable as ever. The President looks forward to working with Israel to advance our common interests, including the realization of a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, ensuring Israel’s security, and strengthening the bilateral relationship, over the months and years to come.

The lawyers also had ascertained that one of the three men had gained access to the polling place by securing a credential as a Democratic poll watcher, according to interviews and documents reviewed by The Washington Times.

The career Justice lawyers were on the verge of securing sanctions against the men earlier this month when their superiors ordered them to reverse course, according to interviews and documents. The court had already entered a default judgment against the men on April 20.

May 28, 2009

I want to highlight one aspect of the very accurate Crisis Group's report on the four year Sa'ada War in Yemen. ( My photo essay of destruction in Sa'ada is by Bill.) The report correctly notes on page 25 that the four cease fires failed because the Yemeni government failed to implement its own part of the deal- because the military failed to follow orders.

The military, ministries, security forces etc. function as fiefdoms and are beyond control of the central government, which is also why the reforms never get implemented and development projects fail time after time. Because of corruption and the complete lack of accountability, different parts of the government go in different directions and compete with each other and in sum produce an overall irrational outcome. President Saleh could never make peace with the rebels, he didn't have the capacity (assuming he was sincere) because the military had an agenda of its own.

So now extrapolate that lack of central control of the military and the security forces to the issues of terrorism and organized crime, and what do you get - a mafia with an airforce and military commanders training terrorists in military camps.

Arguably the most serious impediment was that both
mediation efforts and steps announced by the government
to calm the situation were either undermined by
accompanying repressive measures or, more simply,
not implemented at all.149 This partly resulted from
competing approaches between the political leadership
and army command. According to a Zaydi scholar who
participated in unofficial mediation efforts, “when the
president called for mediation, the army did not always
cooperate. Mediation efforts would have succeeded
had there been a consensus between the politicians and
the army. Instead, they were sabotaged by disagreement”.
150 This claim was supported by different participants
and independent observers. Another mediator
offered an example of government branches working
at cross-purposes:

Update: Yemen Post: Man wounded as police destroy his home with bulldozers.

Update 2 is from ISPN. (Qat is a slightly narcotic shrub that is chewed by 70% of Yemeni men for several hours daily and is destroying Yemen's argriculture, economy and public health):

"Qat is a major source of tax revenue and the centre of all corruption in Yemen. Over 50 percent of tax revenue is derived from qat, but this is only about a third of the real revenue it generates. Everyone from farmers to the highest officials is involved in the qat trade and taking money under the table."

While the government makes broad statements about its intention to reduce the consumption and cultivation of the narcotic plant, any genuine effort is thwarted from within, he adds. "Much of the crop is actually grown on government land, so officials involved will block any attempt to reduce its market."

Its the same configuration over and over in every area including the political realm, corporate, security, basic services, development and terrorism. There is no single government, only multiple actors deploying state power and resources for a variety of ends.

(Maldive Islands) A couple weeks ago, sensational British model Katie Price visited a resort in Muslim Maldives following a breakup with her husband.

As a glamour model, 30-year-old Price is no stranger to taking her clothes off so it was natural for her to strip nude for a sun bath. Unfortunately, nudism and topless sunbathing are criminal offenses in the Muslim nation and the public expressed outrage at Price's behavior.

As a result, Maldives police are investigating and Price faces a possible prison sentence.

* * *

Meanwhile, six suspected Maldives pedophiles were arrested last month for sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl. The girl had repeatedly been "sexually abused by her father, uncle and four family friends since the age of five, which doctors said had seriously impaired her mental health."

Here's an odd story. It's sort of an instance of waffling homosexuality. In a nutshell, a homosexual woman had a sex change to become a homosexual male. Let that sink in.

Frankly, I can barely understand the biological slicing and dicing, called a phalloplasty, to go from woman to man but how that would change a person's sexual orientation is a mystery.

The story starts with Katherine Dalton (pic below the fold, probably NSFW), a gorgeous blonde model who from an early age was attracted to girls. She believed she was a man trapped in a woman's hot babe-alicious body. As a result, she decided to consult a psychotherapist who referred her to a gender expert. The expert said she was a transsexual who should go through the arduous path to becoming a man. She changed her name to Adrian and started taking testosterone.

In 2005, Adrian had her/his supple and presumably perky 32C breasts removed. In 2007, Adrian had a hysterectomy. Six weeks ago, Adrian went to Belgium for an eight-hour phalloplasty where arm and thigh skin is removed and configured to form a facsimile of male genitalia.

It could be contended that everything occurring to Dalton thus far makes sense with the glaring exception that he/she became a gay male. It appears that sexual orientation can be changed via the scalpel which has to be disturbing to those individuals who contend that homosexuality is genetic. Uh, or maybe it proves that homosexuality is genetic -- hell, I don't know. (More)

The United States is the world's new facial hair super power, having captured twelve world championship titles out of eighteen categories plus overall at the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Anchorage, Alaska on May 23, 2009. Possessing home field advantage, the USA was able to dethrone Germany which had dominated this competition since its inception.

La Raza is a "civil rights organization" kind of like the KKK is just about "empowering whites". La Raza translates as the race. Nope, nothing racist about that:

As President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee comes under heavy fire for allegedly being a “racist,” Judge Sonia Sotomayor is listed as a member of the National Council of La Raza, a group that’s promoted driver’s licenses for illegal aliens, amnesty programs, and no immigration law enforcement by local and state police.

Just more of that lefty tolerance. I wonder if any of the protesters asking white folks to go back to England (part II 5:28) considered that its pretty darned likely they originate from Spain? Let alone the raycyst stereotype that all white people in America are English?

Part II is just dripping with irony. Whilst one protester shouts "sand nigger" (5:26) at a person of apparently Arab origin and tells him to go back to Arabia. Other lefty brainiacs with him sport khalifas and shout "Intifada!!!!" If that's not enough for you, then they praise former (cause he'd dead) al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a "Gringo killer".

Freaking hillarious! Not so funny is the old woman struck with a water bottle who was blamed for being old and coming to a protest. Cause according to the leftys, you should "expect violence" when expressing your opinion.

Three sons of radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza, who is currently serving time for incitement to murder, were on Thursday jailed over their involvement in a luxury car scam in London.

Hamza Kamel, 22, and Mohamed Mostafa, 27, helped run the fraudulent scheme with their step-brother Mohssin Ghailam, 28, according to prosecutors at Southwark Crown Court.

Judge Gregory Stone jailed them and four others for what he called "serious criminality" over the scam, in which they used a legal loophole to steal Mercedes, BMWs and Range Rovers left in long-stay car parks.

It’s about time that the ISI starts facing the wrath of the Mujahideen. This attack seems to have been done to further destabilize the authority of the Murtadeen and to undermine their efforts by surprising them and to show that the hand of the Jihad can smash them wherever they are.

Our role is very clear, "...if they (Muslims) seek your help in religion (because of an invasion, earthquake), it is your duty to help them" [EMQ 8:72] and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, "Fight the pagans with your life (physically), your wealth (financially) and tongue (verbally)." [Sunan Nisaai] and remember if you do the minimum type of Jihad when you are capable of doing the greater Jihad then the burden will never be lifted off your shoulders.

I haven't read the book yet, but I plan to. I've argued since 9/11 that our strategy in dealing with political Islam (Islamism) should be modeled after the Cold War. It's good to finally see someone agreeing.

We will not win this war, though, unless we tackle the underlying ideology. As long as traditional Islam -- which, by definition, is political -- is off limits for debate, how can we win? We can't.

Marxism, Marxist-Leninism, and Maoism were widely criticized in the West for 50 years. Idiotic Marxist notions such as the "labor theory of value" and "praxis" were scoffed at by nearly all. One cannot defeat ideas without attacking those ideas.

The notion that God revealed his last will and testament to a man soaked in the blood of tribal genocide seems far more silly to me than the notion that one can discern the end of history by walking around the British Museum all day while your children starve to death. Consider it part of my natural skepticism of epistemological certainty combined with my disdain for acts of evil.

A far less silly criticism of Marxism is that it was the ideology that gave us the Soviet gulags, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and the Vietnam War. It is intellectual laziness to dismiss Stalin or Mao as megalomaniacs who's crimes are unconnected to Communism. In fact, their genocidal tendencies were deeply rooted in their faith that tens of millions dead were a small price to pay in the service of reaching the scientifically deduced end of history -- the Communist utopia.

The same criticism applies to political Islam: the violent jihad started by Mohammed continues unabated. Tens of millions dead in the name of Allah are a testament to the bloody ideology which combines unlimited state power with religious fanaticism.

Lest we forget, the Christian world has had its share of bloodshed. But the bloody religious wars in the West only began after church and state were combined by Constantine and ended when church and state began to be separated after the 30 Years War. No sane person in the West, though, believes that the Inquisition was a good thing. Or that the atrocities committed in the Crusades were done on orders from God.

That is to say, the underlying philosophies of the late Roman period all the way to the Enlightenment are completely open to criticism. One does not see protests in the street when one points out the errors of Augustine, Aquinas, and Henry VIII.

And academics need not write under a pseudonym when attacking Rousseau.

I'm not sure if Muthuswamy gets it right or what the grand strategy for defeating political Islam should look like exactly. But I can say with complete conviction that until we are free to criticize Muhammed and his philosophy in the same way that we are free to criticize Marx and his, then even conceiving of a grand strategy is pointless.

An enemy unnamed is no enemy at all. Identifying who and what we fight against is just as important as identifying who and what we fight for.

Remember when we had to pass all of the President's bloated, pork-laden multi-trillion dollar budgets and stimulus/rescue bills or else we were all going to die tomorrow? Well, it looks like that may have just been a wee bit of an exaggeration timed for political expediency.

So shut up, wingnutz! Obama has saved both the world and the US economy or something! Who are you going to believe - Obama or the Bureau of Labor Statistics?

Apparently, the new Obama math is that 150K jobs "saved" or "created" at a cost of 1.57 million real private sector jobs and $787 billion from taxpayers is "success." Perhaps that success is part of the reason why unemployment is at its highest level in 20 years and will continue for months and months ahead.

Or, if that doesn't work, it's BOOSH'S fault.

In another statement transmitted from the bizzaro world known as Obamamerica, this Stimulate Democrat Interest Groups Bill of 2009 has "fueled demand that is helping business put more Americans back to work."

Really? "More" than what? More than the number that have lost jobs and the many more who will as a result of your disastrous foray into nationalizing any business you deem "too big to fail?"

When does the work begin? And what happens when the "work" Obama provides is completed? Everyone becomes unemployed again? Does he really believe that his new temporary taxpayer-subsidized "workforce" is going to somehow magically sustain itself over time and grow the financial pie in this country so that more can share in it? Or, like with everything else Democrats do and have done for decades, is there really no plan except to fleece taxpayers more and use the proceeds to try to buy more votes?

Barry, a wiser many than yourself once said, "You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

Frequent Jawa commenter, nemesis, and RevolutionMuslim.com contributor "Musab" has issued yet another death threat against me and radio talk show host Rusty Humphries. Long time readers will know about "The Jew Report", also known as "Stop Jewish Internet Terrorists", which is a parody of The Jawa Report and an antisemitic hate website.

We've known for a long time that Musab was a moron, but not until this odd death threat against Humphries and myself did I understand just how idiotic he is. You see, he seems to be under the impression that I am Rusty Humphries!

Alongside a dated picture of Humphries posing with commentator and star blogger Michelle Malkin, the threat begins: "Yes this Fat descusting (sic) pig you are looking at is the boss of the website Jawareport.com but their are many fat kafirs like him you might ask why are we talking about him here's why." ...

Continued the blog: "The Shaabab and muslim Leaders have said enough is enough he has to go and they dont mean move....Inshallah we will see his Fat rottan (sic) torso dumped in the side of the road or in some Florida swamp."

Klein actually called Samir and Yousef up. Yousef at least fessed up and said that he "may" know Musab. Sammy denied knowing him.

I will add that there is substantial evidence showing that Samir Khan does, in fact, have an online relationship with "Musab" but that Sammy may know "Musab" under other names. Like as a certain "Irish mujahideen", maybe?

Anyway, Musab, keep the death threats coming. Just know this: I own you, and each and every Jawa author has a gun. In fact, between the lot of us I'm guessing the gun to Jawa ratio is a bout 4:1.

I'm guessing Rusty Humphries has the self-protection angle down, too.

What kind of gun do they allow you to carry around Dublin, Musab? Oh, yeah, right. None.

In the midst of what the Committee to Protect Journalists calls a "staggering number of attacks" on the Yemeni media -including the mass confiscation of nearly 100,000 newspaper copies- Yemen's Information MInister al Lawzi says the last several editions were “willingly disappeared”.

Ah! Well that explains it Lawzi, just like (the Yemeni government said) the southern protesters shot themselves to death, journalist al-Khaiwani beat himself up to damage the reputation of the security forces, and the riots were prompted by “opposition saboteurs in military uniforms” (that's actually what they said). Its like the country is run by a six year old bully who lies constantly and badly.

Back in the realm of reality, two passersby were killed when the police attacked al Ayyam newspaper with live gunfire and tear gas, thirty newspapers were shuttered, and seven papers that published NEWS (gasp!) of unrest in south Yemen were "accused of inciting their readers to armed insurrection." Two editors were banned from journalism for a year and many other cases are pending. The incitement charge carries the death penalty. of course, the internet is blocked. Meanwhile that lunatic kleptocratic thug President Saleh calls for "national dialog" (with a straight face) almost daily.

News Yemen: In his press conference on Tuesday, al-Lawzi told reporters that some newspapers willingly disappeared for some individual conditions and troubles with printers.But al-Lawzi said the ministry admitted that the Ministry of Information had warned the government and private printers to carry responsibility for any violation of press law...(Editors) said that owners of printers, private and public, still refuse to print newspapers which the Information Ministry has suspended.

Is this how we treat the Iraqis who risked their lives in the service of the new Iraq and America? LA Weekly:

Among all the Iraqis who aided American forces, few proved to be more valuable and fewer still risked as much as Faris Al-Baghdadi (his name has been changed by L.A. Weekly). From 1988 to 1998 he served in Saddam's Air Force. Eventually, he was arrested, charged with disloyalty (trumped-up charges, he says), and tortured by Saddam's military. Exiled to Iran in 1999, he returned to his native country after the 2003 American invasion. He worked as a translator and quickly impressed his American employers, who promoted him to lead a secret "special-ops squad," a clandestine pro-American Special Forces team composed solely of Iraqis who sometimes masqueraded as insurgents or criminals. ... Later, it was his U.S. Marine comrades, acting entirely "on a volunteer basis," who aided him, through a harrowing and dangerous escape from Iraq.

U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis on Wednesday morning handed down sentences that will likely mean two founders of the Holy Land Foundation will spend the rest of their lives behind bars for financing the terrorist group Hamas.

Shukri Abu Baker, 50, of Garland was ordered to serve 65 years in prison as sentencing began for five men convicted on charges in the largest terrorism financing case in American history. Another founder, Ghassan Elashi, 55, of Richardson, was sentenced to 65 years in prison.

Good news: The Abu Sayyaf terrorists who had recently beheaded a farmer they were holding hostage and who had just released three female teachers have been captured and killed.

Philippine troops stormed a jungle hide-out of Muslim militants Wednesday, killing at least two rebel commanders and eight gunmen allegedly involved in a wave of kidnappings for ransom in the troubled south, officials said....

The target was a motley group of al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants and local gangsters believed to have been involved in the recent beheading of a kidnapped farmer and the abduction of three teachers who were freed Tuesday...

The Abu Sayyaf, blacklisted by Washington as a terrorist organization, is still holding at least seven hostages, including a Sri Lankan peace activist on Basilan and an Italian Red Cross worker on nearby Jolo, two predominantly Muslim areas where the militants operate.

A couple of weeks old, but still relevant given that: a) I just got back from the UK; b) most Brits are clueless about extremism in the Somali community; c) two of the 7/7 bombers were Somali immigrants who were congregants at the Finsbury Park Mosque; d) most Americans are clueless about al Qaeda's role in Somalia; and d) so's your face!

The NEFA Foundation has released a new interactive chart by NEFA Senior Investigator Evan Kohlmann titled, "Al-Qaida's Online Couriers: The Al-Fajr Media Center and the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF)." The chart maps out in detail the multi-step process by which multimedia recorded by mujahideen organizations in the field is distributed online--including the critical roles played by the pre-eminent Internet logistical service providers (namely Al-Fajr and the GIMF). As indicated by the chart, the Al-Fajr Media Center has official "contractual" partnerships with the As-Sahab Media Foundation, Al-Qaida's "Islamic State of Iraq" (ISI), Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (Yemen), Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Ansar al-Islam in Iraq, and the Islam Awazi Information Center (the media wing of the Turkestan Islamic Party). Conversely, at present, the GIMF boasts its own active service relationships with Jaish al-Islam and Tawheed wal-Jihad in the Gaza Strip, and the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia.

Let me just pat myself on the back by noting that the Jawa Report at the forefront of identifying the Global Islamic Media Front as a branch of al Qaeda's propaganda network. In fact, as far as I can tell, we were the first to note it.

The killing in 1967 of an unarmed demonstrator by a police officer in West Berlin set off a left-wing protest movement and put conservative West Germany on course to evolve into the progressive country it has become today.

Now a discovery in the archives of the East German secret police, known as the Stasi, has upended Germany’s perception of its postwar history. The killer, Karl-Heinz Kurras, though working for the West Berlin police, was at the time also acting as a Stasi spy for East Germany.

I'll try to catch up on things today. Apologies for not answering email, but just didn't have much time between tea and crumpets with the Queen and hanging out in front of the Finsbury Park Mosque.

Jawa at Finsbury Park tube station.

Jawa in front of the North London Central Mosque, formerly known as the Finsbury Park Mosque.

Alas, my pet Jawa is no more. I've had the little guy since I was an 8 year old Star Wars fanatic.

I'm not sure where I left him. The last time I saw him I was at the Finsbury Park mosque.

No, seriously. After eating dinner with four very gracious hosts -- thank you very much for the dinner! -- one of the couples was kind enough to take me on a brief tour of sites crucial to the radical Islamists in London. The very last time I saw my pet Jawa was just before I got on the Piccadily line to return to my hotel room.

Has Jawa been kidnapped? Does Jawa stand in mortal danger of having his head removed from his neck?

If I receive a ransom notice from the followers of the former imam of the Finsbury Park mosque -- indicted al Qaeda facilitator Abu Hamza al-Masri -- let me make my position clear:

1) We do not negotiate with terrorists.
2) We will pay no ransom to terrorists.
3) If you strike Jawa down, he will become more powerful than you can ever imagine.

FREE JAWA NOW!

UPDATE: Just so you know, I really did lose Jawa, I really haven't seen him since Finsbury Park, and I really have had him since I was a little kid. No joke.

GIVE up lamb roasts and save the planet. Government advisers are developing menus to combat climate change by cutting out “high carbon” food such as meat from sheep, whose burping poses a serious threat to the environment.

Out will go kebabs, greenhouse tomatoes and alcohol. Instead, diners will be encouraged to consume more potatoes and seasonal vegetables, as well as pork and chicken, which generate fewer carbon emissions.

“Changing our lifestyles, including our diets, is going to be one of the crucial elements in cutting carbon emissions,” said David Kennedy, chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change.

Kennedy has stopped eating his favourite doner kebabs because they contain lamb.

Er uh, I'm speechless. You never hear anyone suggest that we give up that Brazilian Mahogany dining room table to combat global warming. Just don't eat sheep on it while wearing a wool sweater.

IRAN has arrested more than 100 "Satan-worshippers" in a raid on a concert in the southern city of Shiraz where people were drinking alcohol and "sucking blood", a newspaper reports.

"One hundred and four members of a Satan-worshipping group were arrested at a party and immoral concert in Shiraz," local Revolutionary Guards chief Abbas Hamidi was quoted as saying by Jam-e Jam newspaper.

The arrests were made by the Islamist basij militia.

The fact that Iranian authorities jail heavy-metal followers as satan-worshippers is hardly surprising but, I'm stunned that a heavy-metal concert was even allowed to occur in Islamic Iran. (More)

But his return is a bittersweet moment, little Jawa action figure was refused boarding at Heathrow and has been detained in a super sekrit MI6 detention camp. Something about missing droids at Buckingham palace.

We demand our noble little savage's immediate release and repatriation back to Tatooine.

"Point Two. All industrial, commercial, manufacturing and business establishments of any nature whatsoever shall henceforth remain in operation, and the owners of such establishments shall not quit nor leave nor retire, nor close, sell or transfer their business, under pentalty of the nationalization of their establishment and of any and all of their property.

A Simpson's analogy seems apt here: The Obama Administration is Fat Tony and his goons who go around violently stomping out all of the mobile food vendors in Springfield so that Marge's struggling Pretzel Wagon business gets control of the whole market. The goons are in fact hired by Homer - in this case, Obama's special interest groups and union constituencies are Homer.

Some would say it's "brilliant." I think it bears a closer resemblance to La Cosa Nostra.

While there's all this important discussion of whether female Latinas posses special powers of perception and empathy that give extra meaning and weight to their judicial decisions versus their white male counterparts, North Korea continues conducting nuclear tests, threatening our allies and is generally just being an all around distraction.

Didn't they hear that Bush is gone and that the new era of President World is upon us? Don't they know that Obama is picking a female Latina for the Supreme Court? Aren't they impressed with the lengths we're going to for the rights of terrorist killers? Didn't they get the memo that Obama wanted to talk and do smart, strong things?

May 26, 2009

After striking a deal with the prosecution, 36-year-old former exotic dancer and teacher's aide Abbie Jane Swogger pleaded guilty today to multiple charges.

As a result, she was sentenced to three to six years in prison and 36 years of probation.

Swogger told the court that she was sorry.

* * * * *

[Previous 3/31/08 post]
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) A 34-year-old teacher's aide and former stripper may turn out to be this year's most egregious naughty teacher.

Abbie Jane Swogger faces multiple charges related to allegedly organizing drug and sex parties with high school kids. See the whole story including Swogger pic.

Swogger's case is harmed by the distribution of a photograph allegedly taken at one of the parties. In it, Swogger is believed to be engaged in intimacy with six happy-faced high school boys. Photo is below the fold (NSFW).

The California State Supreme Court upheld the ban on same-sex marriages approved by voters in Proposition 8 last November. The justices voted 6-1 that Proposition 8 is "a permissible constitutional amendment."

The justices also ruled that same-sex marriages performed prior to the adoption of Proposition 8 remain valid.

Ahhh some more of the Tolerance for the people of the book that Islamists are always talking about?

Via WND: JERUSALEM – Palestinian Christians in a normally quiet village are reeling from a series of grave desecrations this week that they say are indicative of intimidation tactics from the town's growing Muslim population.

"Christians don't feel free anymore. Our way of life is changing while the Muslim population grows," a local Christian told WND. The Christian would only give his first name, Anis, for fear of Muslim retaliation if he speaks out. He pointed out there are several other Anis's in his village, Jisna, which is located near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

This week, 70 Christian grave sites in Jisna were vandalized, with the crosses on top of the graves found smashed off, local Christians told WND.

Data that includes criminal convictions, details of debt, drug abuse, use of prostitutes, and extra-marital affairs of RAF officials who may have access to top secret information. BBC

Last September the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said data on tens of thousands of personnel were lost from RAF Innsworth in Gloucestershire.

Some 500 files with details of affairs, debt and drug use were also lost, BBC Two's Who's Watching You? will say.[...]

It was said the discs the MoD admitted to losing were taken from a secure area, and included names, addresses and some bank account details.

Vetting is the process of assessing an individual for higher security clearance.

An internal MoD memo - obtained by a former officer and passed to BBC Two's Who's Watching You? programme - shows the lost files contained "details of criminal convictions, investigations, precise details of debt, medical conditions, drug abuse, use of prostitutes, extra-marital affairs including the names of third parties".

During the U.S. Presidential primaries last year, I had expressed my misgivings that Barack Obama might turn out to be another Jimmy Carter, whose confused thinking and soft image paved the way for the success of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Is Obama Another Jimmy Carter?

The answer is not yet, I mean you really have to f*ck things up to even begin to earn the "as bad as Jimmah" label.

President Obama will nominate federal appeals court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace David Souter on the Supreme Court, NPR has learned. If confirmed, Sotomayor will become the first Hispanic and the third woman to serve on the high court.

Administration officials say Sotomayor, with 17 years on the bench, would bring more judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice confirmed in the past 70 years.

I dunno, I figured he'd wait a while. Or at least that was the buzz last week. Maybe he figures he'll need more than one try?

I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion [as a judge] than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.” — Judge Sonia Sotomayor, in her Judge Mario G. Olmos Law and Cultural Diversity Lecture at the University of California (Berkeley) School of Law in 2001

Did she really say that? Well yes, Because to be racist/sexist against white males is all the rage baby.

(Abu Dhabi, UAE) The French have acquired the equivalent of Baltic Avenue on the Middle East Monopoly Game board.

President Nicolas Sarkozy formally opened a French military base in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, its first in the oil-rich Gulf, as Paris seeks to land lucrative military contracts and strengthen its foothold in a region just across from Iran.

It appears that the French base will serve as both a strategic defense position and a de facto satellite marketing office for the nation's aircraft and nuclear industries.

Initially sensed as a seismic event by the USGS on Sunday night at 8:53:43 PM (EDT), a successful underground nuclear test by North Korea has now been confirmed. Meanwhile, a South Korean source indicates that the North concurrently tested a short-range missile.

The nuclear blast was estimated to be between 10 and 20 kilotons.

Reportedly, the North informed the U.S. and China before the test. President Obama said that North Korea's activities warrant "action by the international community." South Korea and Japan issued strong statements of condemnation.

Interestingly, it's believed that the North is rattling sabers because of in-house strife and disappointment in the Obama administration. According to Kim Yong-Hyun of Seoul's Dongguk University, North Korea sports a growing anger at Washington.

Frankly, I tend to agree that Kim Jong-il is stressed. The dear leader's recent reported stroke plus his age make the future dicey. Being mad at Obama, I'm not so sure.

However, considering Kim Jong-il's "look-at-me-I'm-special" psyche, I suggest that he has finally accepted his mortality and decided to bow out with some extra-vigorous banging of the old tin pot. There are also reports that Kim Jong-il likes to see his name in the news because he's a pretty ronery guy. (More)

How they got the video out is beyond me. Tthe Yemeni government blocked several reporters from getting to the scene of the protests, arrested others and closed several newspapers. A good two minute report on the unrest in Yemen below the fold.

This isn't the first mention of an Eritrea - al Shabaab link. An assassination plot, by al Shabaab, to kill President Obama on inauguration day had been supported by Eritrea. The US threatened Eritrea with war if the plot were successful.

President Obama's top official, Jonnie Carson, had expressed concern over the arms link between al Shabaab and Eritrea.

"Eritrea supports us and Ethiopia is our enemy -- we once helped both countries but Ethiopia did not reward us," Aweys, dressed in a dark suit, told Reuters in an interview.[...]

"There may be two or three Arabs who were moved by Islam to fight alongside us. But there is no large number of foreign Mujahideen in Mogadishu. We and the Arabs are all Muslims -- so we are Arabs," he said.

"We are not fighting for positions, but for Islam. It is agreed upon within Islam that Christians and those they support are the same -- so war is incumbent upon us, like prayer."

Will we see any muslims rioting over al Shabaab's supposed "misunderstanding" and "offensive" behavior towards islam?

"Somalia has no government we recognise," said Aweys. "We should not be deceived by Westerners like Sharif."

(Peshawar, Pakistan) People are being warned by Taliban thugs about wearing Western clothing.

“I received a piece of paper written in Pushto, saying that doctors and medical workers are wearing un-Islamic dress which should be stopped,” said Abdul Hammed Afridi, chief executive of Peshawar’s main government hospital. “It was from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),” he said. [...]

“Last week one of our colleagues was kidnapped by the Taliban, beaten and warned that pharmaceutical staff should stop wearing western dress,” said Nasir Khan, president of a medical representatives’ organisation. “They put a warning letter in his pocket after beating him,” he said.

Western-style trousers and T-shirts appear to be the targets of the campaign. However, I suspect a bin Laden T-Shirt would be okay.

"We want the officer or officers involved to be prosecuted, and the government to issue an apology," Manala Mohammed, a Syrian national, told the Associated Press news agency.

"We want people to show us respect."

The protest in the city's Omonia square was organised by leftist, immigrant and anti-racism groups, which have previously complained of police brutality against immigrants.

Muslims are generally dissatisfied with conditions in Greece. After sneaking into the country, they're shocked to find no jobs waiting for them and they end up having to live in miserable, overcrowded apartments. The Quran incident easily ignited violent demonstrations.

The criminalized regime of Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh celebrated Unity Day with a military parade in Sana'a and a bloodbath in Aden. As one Yemeni described it, "Yesterday was a true representation of Saleh's style of democracy, using guns and ammunition, killing innocent people in Aden,while standing like peacock in Sana'a demonstrating the power of dictatorship, and calling for dialog."

Also yesterday, the former president of South Yemen, Ali Salem al Beedh, assumed leadership of the Southern Mobility movement and called for South Yemen to secede from the North. More details on the carnage and unfolding political developments below the fold:

The al Beedh statement is a turning point in the Southern Yemeni bid to restore the independence of the south Yemen, which unified with northern Yemen in 1990. He had been in exile in Oman since the 1994 civil war. Oman withdrew al Beedh's citizenship as a result of his announcement from Germany.

While demonstrations have been ongoing in southern Yemen since 2007, and have often been very bloody, al Beedh as the figurehead gives the movement new legitimacy and a cohesion that it was lacking. However, Saleh's regime is sure to continue to use state violence to subdue the movement, and I wouldn't be surprised by an "al Qaeda attack" within the next week as ploy to gain international support for the regime.

With tensions are building to critical levels, Yemen recently closed over 30 newspapers, and several editors were charged with undermining state security by publishing news of the unrest.

Although the Yemeni government is denying yesterday's slaughter, in reality several protesters were killed by the state security. Nearly one hundred were injured, with over 40 requiring hospitalization, mostly from bullet wounds. More than one thousand protesters were arrested, and according to the latest news from Aden, they are now in the following prisons: Sheikh Othman town prison 370, Almansoora prison 450, Alqahera prison 170, Albasateen prison 360. More than the reported four citizens were murdered by police; three have been identified:

The severely injured are more than 40 in different hospitals. More than ten demonstrators were kidnapped by force from their hospital beds, and there is no information on their location. So far, 26 of the critically injured have been identified as follows:

The following statement was issued yesterday by the UK based Southern Democratic Assembly (TAJ) which echoes an earlier Arabic statement by Socialist MP Dr Nasser Kbjee denying any relationship between the southern mobility and Al Qaeda. The TAJ statement goes a bit further in laying out the inter-relation between Saleh's regime and al Qaeda.

We have approached the date of resolution, and the hour of salvation has become very close… it is time for the Yemenite occupant to leave the South without bloodshed. We call on every one who is concerned with the peace and security in the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf area to know that the freedom of the people in the south and the independence of their country is not an issue of bargaining. Nobody dares to think about moving back as the southern nation formed its decision to move forwards the independence.

The peaceful southern revolution managed to draw the attention of the regional and international press. The regime of Sanaa has to admit that the game is over and that all his cards are burnt out. Neither the so-called opposition of the Joint Meeting Parties nor the northern faction dominated Yemenite Socialist Party can save him. The people inside and outside our country recognize that the peaceful revolution is borne by the whole people in the South and not by a few agents motivated by the hands of foreign forces as the regime used to claim.

Today we declare to the world that the march of our revolution reached a new level to unify all southern forces under the banner of liberation and towards exoneration from the backward military and tribal Yemeni occupation to achieve the complete independence of our country. It is clear to everyone that the Joint Meeting Parties and Yemenite Socialist Party, dominated currently by the northern faction, failed to take control of the southern movement to help the current regime in Sana’a to survive and to conserve its system.

The southerns have succeeded to break the media blockade against their peaceful revolution, and the outside world learns more details about its way to face the occupation. This induced the regime to play his last card by accusing Al-Qaida to stand behind the southern movement. The regime thought that he can delude the world and save his collapsed regime.

Ali Abdullah Saleh tries to incite the local, regional and international public opinion against the Southern movement and delude the world that the south could be a fertile breeding ground for Islamic fundamentalists who have been in service of Saleh and his intelligence agencies and security forces for over the last 25 years.

If one tries to count all the crimes of this regime, were should he starts? By the operations that Ayman Al-Zawahiri planed in his Villa in the “Political Quarter” of Sanaa in the nineties of the last century under the observation of Security Officer, Abdussalam Al-Hialah, who is arrested now in Guantanamo? This officer was responsible for managing Salah´s bank accounts in Europe, and he was assigned to support the so called Arabic Mujahideens in Afghanistan. Should we remind this regime of all the terrorist acts he was involved in, such as The attempted assassination of Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Sedki 1994, the bomb attack of Khan El-Khalili 1994, the Egyptian embassy in Pakistan, the two bombings of U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam 1998, the attack of American soldiers in Goldmoor hotel in Aden 1991, bombing the destroyer USS Cole in Aden and the tanker Limburg in Mukallah, in addition to various other attacks on western tourists, embassies in Sana’a and elsewhere, not to mention the alliance with Al-Zandani who is wanted in the US.

There is no way to persuade the world that Abo Baseer, Nasser Al-Wahaishi, (ed: the head of al Qaeda in the Arabian Penninsula) will defend the southern revolution, as everyone knows that he belongs to the security forces of Sana’a. Our revolution will be defended by our people who have been suffering more than 14 years under the Yemenite occupation and are willing to protect their peaceful revolution from any kind of violence and terrorism.

We herewith alert the press and media to be careful when covering news from the South. We long for freedom, peace and justness, and we condemn terrorism. All attempts to link our movement to terrorism will harm our people and damage their reputation and will be only help the forces of terror and evil who are protected by Sana’a.

Once again, we affirm that there is no relationship between the peaceful revolution of the South and any terroristic activities. We appeal to the United Nations to form a commission of inquiry to investigate the entanglement of President Ali Abdullah Saleh personally in supporting and financing terrorism. We have the evidence to prove this and demonstrate to the world the truth of who threatens the peace in the Arabian Peninsula, the Gulf and the Horn of Africa.

China is demanding that developed nations, such as the US, Canada, Europe etc..., cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 1990 levels. But China, the world leader in greenhouse gas emissions, will not subject itself to the same stringent cuts. Bretbart

In a position paper published for negotiations to be held in Copenhagen in December, China -- one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases that cause global warming -- did not commit to any legally binding reductions.

"Developed countries shall undertake to reduce their GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in aggregate by at least 40 percent below their 1990 level by 2020," said the paper, posted on China's planning agency's website.

(Dallas, Texas) Local mom Mia Washington noticed remarkable differences between her 11-month-old twin sons so she decided to have their paternity examined. She was shocked to learn that the boys had different fathers.

In a rare phenomenon called "hetero-paternal super fecundation," the mother conceived by hosting biological messengers from two different baby butter sources.

It's about time this right has been granted to some of Britain's bravest warriors.

All former Gurkhas who have served for four years with the British army and wish to live in the United Kingdom will be allowed to do so, the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, announced today.

In a reversal of previous guidelines that prevented all but a small number of Gurkhas being granted the right to settlement in the UK, Smith said: "Generations of Gurkhas have served the United Kingdom with great courage, sacrifice and distinction and they continue to make a vital and valued contribution to our operations around the world.

"We respect the will of the House of Commons on this issue and that is why I have now announced a new policy, the basis of which we have worked on with the home affairs select committee and Gurkha representatives. This means we can now welcome any Gurkha who has served for four years or more to settle in the UK."

(United Kingdom) A disturbing report is surfacing in the UK from the TimesOnLine.

Thousands of young Pakistanis exploited a hole in Britain’s immigration defences to enrol as students at a network of sham colleges, The Times can reveal.

The gateway, opened by fraudsters who have earned millions from the scam, has allowed in hundreds of men from a region of Pakistan that is the militant heartland of al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taleban.

Eleven colleges in London, Manchester and Bradford have been tied to three Pakistani businessman running the fraudulent scheme which reportedly has fueled a surge in student arrivals from Pakistan. Between 2002 and 2007, Pakistani nationals entering the UK grew from 8,000 to 27,000.

The Immigration Minister, Phil Woolas, said the UK Border Agency is investigating.

...and that special place in Hell? Well, this so-called "mother" gets first dibs on it:

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A mother playing with her children at a park spotted a little black sneaker sticking out of the sand underneath the playground equipment. Figuring a youngster had lost his shoe, she bent down to pick it up. It was strangely heavy.

She had made a ghastly discovery: a dead little boy, buried in the sand.

For nearly a week, who the toddler was, how he died, and who put him there were a chilling mystery until Thursday, when a drawing of the youngster circulated by police led to the arrest of a young mother on murder charges.

Albuquerque police said Tiffany Toribio, 23, confessed to suffocating her 3-year-old son, Tyruss "Ty" Toribio, as he slept on the climbing gym — a crime so cold-blooded that neighbors struggled to comprehend it, and even veteran officers became choked up.

I don't care why she did it and I don't care if she pleads insanity. This waste of a human being should never see daylight again.

The police chief said Toribio told detectives that she suffocated her son in Alvarado Park before dawn on May 13 by putting her hand over his mouth and nose. She said she had second thoughts and performed CPR on the boy, resuscitating him, but reconsidered and smothered him again. Investigators said she then buried him under the climbing gym's hanging bridge, where the body was found two days later.

There are plenty of giving, generous families who would have willingly taken little Ty in and given him the love he so deserved. Instead this woman decides not once, but TWICE that her son should die and then abandons his lifeless body beneath the sand of a playground.

Ty didn't end up getting his second chance at life. One could only hope she doesn't either.

May 21, 2009

"Decisions that were made over the last eight years established an ad hoc legal approach for fighting terrorism that was neither effective nor sustainable – a framework that failed to rely on our legal traditions and time-tested institutions; that failed to use our values as a compass," Obama said. "And that is why I took several steps upon taking office to better protect the American people."

Um, Barry, you can't bat any better than 1000, and, much as you loathe the reality, that's exactly what the Bush administration did following 9/11.

Speaking of Darth Cheney, he had this advice for the Boy President:

"A lot rides on our President’s understanding of the security policies that preceded him. And whatever choices he makes concerning the defense of this country, those choices should not be based on slogans and campaign rhetoric, but on a truthful telling of history."

According to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the borders are now safe enough to take a step forward. "We can pass strong, fair, practical and effective immigration reform this year," he said following a hearing on border security Wednesday.

Interestingly, at the same time Schumer says the border is secure, we get news that the FBI has issued a warning about Mexican drug cartels doing their training in Texas.

In all candor, every time I hear an idea from Sen. Schumer, I have the instinctive urge to check the locks on the doors and put a death grip on my wallet.

A massive amount of sensitive, national security-related information from the Clinton administration has gone missing from the national archives.

The Inspector General of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) told congressional committee staffers Tuesday that a hard drive containing over a terabyte of information -- the equivalent of millions of books--went missing from the NARA facility in College Park, Md., sometime between October 2008 and March 2009.[...]

That hard drive includes information on Secret Service operating procedures, event logs, and other "highly sensitive information," according to the office of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The data also includes 100,000 Social Security numbers, including the number of one of Al Gore's daughters.

The FBI is advising law enforcement officers across the country that a Texas cell of Los Zetas — an increasingly powerful arm of the Mexican Gulf Cartel drug trafficking syndicate — has acquired a secluded ranch where it trains its members to “neutralize” competitors in the United States.

In order to ensure its share of the lucrative illegal drug trade, the cartel’s members reportedly are operating north of the border to collect debts and spy on competitors.

Yup. It sure is a relief. We have such an unparalleled, experienced, gravitas-laden genius as our current Veep. Right, Barry?

Doing a great job up there, Democrats:

President Obama is so "distracted by his vice president's indiscipline" that he has been forced to rebuke privately Vice President Joe Biden, according to a new book by Newsweek journalist Richard Wolffe, who interviewed Obama a dozen times.

"He can't keep his mouth shut," Wolffe quotes a "senior Obama aide" as saying of the gaffe-prone Biden in "Renegade: The Making of a President," set for release June 2.

Your boys up there, Donks. It ain't Bush's fault Biden's a cantankerous jackass who's just a little more intelligent than you.

(Tampa, Florida) The imam of Masjid Omar Al Mukhtar mosque, Yasser (aka Yaser) Mohamed Shahade, 35, has been arrested by Tampa Police for the alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old boy. The alleged sex reportedly occurred inside the mosque during a sleepover and the boy's younger brother may also have been sexually assaulted.

Shahade is an Egyptian who arrived two months ago to become the mosque's full-time imam.

The alleged victim's father actively supported bringing Shahade, his wife and two daughters to Florida when the mosque needed a leader. Although no background check was performed, Shahade appeared qualified.

Shahade has been charged with sexual battery. He was booked into custody at the Falkenburg Road Jail without bail. Since he is an Egyptian citizen in the U.S., immigration officials have been notified. (more)

(Bronx, New York) Four African-American men were arrested by FBI agents last night for allegedly plotting to detonate explosives at two synagogues in the Bronx and to shoot down an airplane. Three of the men are reported jail house converts to Islam and all are residents of Newburgh, about 60 miles north of NYC.

All four men were US-born.

Arrested was alleged ringleader James Cromitie of Newburgh, the son of an Afghan immigrant and his African American wife.

Cromitie served a long stretch in prison in the past.

Alleged henchmen David Williams, Onta Williams and Leguerre Payen were busted with him.

The four had been the subjects of a year-long investigation in which FBI agents posed as terrorist supporters willing to provide C-4 explosives and a Stinger missile. The missile was intended for use against an airplane at Stewart National Guard Base in Newburgh.

Arraignment is scheduled for today in White Plains federal court.

[Update 0700 EDT] The four men have reported aliases: James Cromitie, also known as Abdul Rahman; Onta Williams, also known as Hamza; David Williams, also known as Daoud; and Laguerre Payen, also known as Amin.

Cromitie told investigators that he was upset about the war in Afghanistan and that many Muslims were being killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

May 20, 2009

(Magetan, East Java, Indonesia) A C-130 military transport plane carrying troops and families crashed into residences and burst into flames yesterday on approach to an air force base.

The plane was carrying at least 109 passengers and crew when it went down in Geplak, a village 520 kilometers east of Jakarta, including troops and their families. At least 10 children were among them.

At least 98 people were killed, including two on the ground, and 15 others survived, said Bambang Samudro, chief of the military air base in Magetan. Many of the injured suffered severe burns.

The country’s air force, long underfunded and handicapped by a recently lifted US ban on weapons sales, has suffered a series of accidents, including a Fokker 27 plane that crashed into an airport hangar last month, killing all 24 onboard.

The airworthiness of Indonesian military and commercial planes is questionable. The planes are old and suffer from poor maintenance, making air travel risky.

The consensus, it would seem, is overwhelming. As Henri Guaino, a senior adviser to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, put it on Sunday: "Everyone wants peace. The whole world wants a Palestinian state."

It isn't going to happen.

International consensus or no, the two-state solution is a chimera. Peace will not be achieved by granting sovereignty to the Palestinians, because Palestinian sovereignty has never been the Arabs' goal. Time and time again, a two-state solution has been proposed. Time and time again, the Arabs have turned it down.

So why you might ask would "Arabs" turn down every deal they have ever been offered including a Palestinian state?

The elephant in the room that is not mentioned is Islam. Or at least some basic principals in the Koran that we somehow just don't seem to get. I was looking at the nutty Aussie Youtube guy last week talk about the "sekrit zionist khinspiracy" to rule the world. That is an often repeated line in anti-semite, leftist and Islamist rhetoric.

But no one mentions the overtly naked and open requirements in Islam that it establish its dominance over the Kuffar and establish a global caliphate and rule the world under Sharia law.

In fact the leftists would be red with rage (and righrfully so) if anyone suggested modern people live under Papal law, but somehow a system that is just as if not more repressive than inquisition gets a noble savage pass

But don't take my word for it. The Islamists and terror supports say it openly and without shame.

The above article mentions the Pope so to see just what the Muslims, or at least some Muslims believe is required of the Pope to make them happy.

The disbeliever must be submissive to Islam. He either enters Islam, or pays the Jizya(tax). If the Jews or Christians want to live in Palestine, they must abide by the Islamic law and respect it. They must either accept Islam or pay Jizya. Otherwise, there is no compromise.

So all the Pope has to do is pay the Jizya and declare that Islam is superior to Catholicism and then there can be a temporary peace. How long does that pace last? Well until the Muslims can conquer Rome.

Another condition for peace is that it has to be in accordance with the Quran andSunnah, otherwise, the peace treaty would not be valid. The peace treaty cannot proclaim “peace forever” since that would nullify our obligation of jihad. The pope encouraged the denouncement of Jihad when he “Called on the Palestinians to resist any temptation to resort to acts of violence in what is being seen as his strongest public support yet for Palestinian statehood.”

“I make this appeal to the many young people throughout the Palestinian territories today,” he said.

“Do not allow the loss of life and the destruction that you have witnessed to arouse bitterness or resentment in your hearts.”, he said.

This is nonsense! Allah says in the holy Quran “Jihad (holy fighting in Allah’s cause) is ordained for you (Muslims) though you dislike it…” (1:215)

So that's the deal that the Pope gets. So what about the Jews? What about Israel.

This land is not for the Palestinians, Arabs, nor Israelites; Palestine is for the Muslims. Every Prophet that came fulfilled his duty protecting it; All Prophets from the time of Prophet Ibraheem alayhi assalam, Musa, Yusuf, Dawuud, Sulayman, to Prophet Muhammad, Sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. All were prophets of Allah, and Allah says in the Quran “The religion with Allah is Islam” (3:19). There are some misunderstandings that Prophet Noah or Ibraheem (Aberham) were the “Prophets of the Jews.” The Holy Quran states that “Ibrahim (Aberham) was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a true Muslim Hanifa (Islamic Monotheism-to worship none but Allah alone)” (3:67). So Palestine is not for the Palestinians to do as they please with it, nor is it for the Jews, but it is the land that Allah ordained for the true believers.

Note "Muslim Lands" are any place that has ever been or will ever be under Muslim rule. Muslims' obligation is to retake all lands that were ever under Muslim rule and expand the caliphate.

So at what point will the Muslims stop and have peace with the Jews?

It should be clear to us that the animosity the Jews had towards the Muslims at the time of Prophet Muhammad Sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will continue until the end of time. There can be a cessation of hostility and disengagement of the army, but the state of war will always exist. We should never take them as allies. As Allah says in the Quran, “O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Aulia’ (friends, protectors, helpers), they are but Auliya’ of each other. And if any amongst you takes them asAulia’, then surely he is one of them.” (5:51)

Just so we're clear on that, he means Never ever ever.

So you can go around talking Peace process all you want, its all hot air without addressing the root of the cause. The Jews are alive and have a state. This is the problem Muslims ooops I mean Arabs have with the state of Israel.

(Bilbao, Spain) The Spanish Interior Ministry announced that 13+ alleged Islamist extremists were arrested last night in the northern city of Bilbao. Twelve were identified as Algerian and one is an Iraqi.

All those arrested are accused of belonging to an organised criminal gang which sent part of its takings to the Islamic Magreb Al Qaeda group. Money raised in Spain from burglaries, drug trafficking, credit card falsification and even begging was allegedly sent on to Algeria.

Months-long investigations in run-of-the-mill crime fortunately led to the arrests. Police say that more arrests are possible.

Thats amazing stuff right there. Bypassing internet censorship could change the Middle East quicker, more cheaply and with a better outcome than anything else going on. The developer is the same person who devised Yemen Portal's program that bypasses internet censorship in Yemen. From the Yemen Times:

CAIRO, May 16 — A new tool to circumvent website censorship named "Alkasir" was released today in its BETA version 1.0 and is now in the public domain. The release comes after the software was publicly revealed for the first time in Cairo yesterday during the first day of the "Blogging the Future" summit organized by the Kamal Adham Center for Journalism Training and Research.

The software, whose name originates from the Arabic word 'alkasir', meaning 'the circumventer', is now accessible and according to its developer, Walid Al-Saqaf, an be downloaded directly from the web at Alkasir's website.

"l-Kasir is a project carried out with the support of the MidEastGate ongoing program to expand access to information in the Middle East. The program is implemented by MideastYouth.com, "a nonprofit network supporting freedom of expression and activism online," Al-Saqaf said during a session he presented in front of an audience of bloggers and journalists representing many countries from around the world.

It was revealed in the session that alkasir is capable of tracking and circumventing censorship of websites by applying a multi-layered and distributed technique depending on a central service for storing information regarding blocked websites and other servers to provide tunneling channels for users of the program.

Last week I spent 90 minutes doing a couple of simple things -- registering to vote, changing my driver's license, filling out a domicile certificate and signing a homestead certificate -- in Florida. Combined with spending 184 days a year outside New York, these simple procedures will save me over $5 million in New York taxes annually.

Like I've mentioned before, the EPA and FDA have claimed authority to regulate CO2 under the Obama administration. So you're getting cap and trade up the A** one way or the other. But don't worry congress is coming to save you.

Via Reason.com: Finally, Christina Romer, the head of Obama's Council of Economic Advisors, calculated last year that a 1 percent increase in taxes reduces economic output by 2 to 3 percent over the following three years. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the cap-and-trade scheme will collect about $80 billion per year in revenues, a figure that represents about 3 percent federal tax increase.

So that's a 6 to 9 percent reduction in economic growth for three years following the implementation of the bill. Given our current negative growth rate, er uh you get the idea, longer recession, less revenue, fewer jobs. This will help "the little guy". But mark my words, I doubt this bill will make it out of the congress without the power producers getting "their fair share" of any price increase. They'll get increased profits from your pocket out of this bill , i guarantee it.

The Dems policy in my home state is so wonderful it gave power companies a defacto unregulated monopoly and we get to pay 60 to 80% more to them each month. Thanks to the Democrats for "helping out the little guys" namely COMED and Ameren.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Pakistan President Zardari stated that Pakistan is not adding to their nuclear arsenal. But at a congressional hearing last week, Admiral Mullen confirmed that Pakistan is indeed expanding their nuke stockpile.

There's nothing to worry about though because the US has a plan to secure Pakistani nukes in case the country falls to the taliban. Only problem is we don't know where all the nukes are. New York Times

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress have been told in confidential briefings that Pakistan is rapidly adding to its nuclear arsenal even while racked by insurgency, raising questions on Capitol Hill about whether billions of dollars in proposed military aid might be diverted to Pakistan’s nuclear program.

Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed the assessment of the expanded arsenal in a one-word answer to a question on Thursday in the midst of lengthy Senate testimony. Sitting beside Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, he was asked whether he had seen evidence of an increase in the size of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal.

“Yes,” he said quickly, adding nothing, clearly cognizant of Pakistan’s sensitivity to any discussion about the country’s nuclear strategy or security.

Inside the Obama administration, some officials say, Pakistan’s drive to spend heavily on new nuclear arms has been a source of growing concern, because the country is producing more nuclear material at a time when Washington is increasingly focused on trying to assure the security of an arsenal of 80 to 100 weapons so that they will never fall into the hands of Islamic insurgents.

(San Francisco, California) In 2006, the San Francisco School Board voted to phase out the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) curriculum in its schools because of the military's discrimination against homosexuals. The program was due to end in less than a month.

On Tuesday night, students who fought for the program waited for more than five hours to see their three-year lesson in real-life civics end in victory.

The students filled the board chambers to capacity as they crowded into seats, on the floor and along walls, some doing homework while they waited for the vote. Others spilled out into the lobby, where a television broadcast the meeting.

Prior to Tuesday's meeting, four board members said they were prepared to reinstate the program. The four who voted to get rid of JROTC three years ago are no longer in office.

Students cheered when the 4-3 vote was announced, continuing the JROTC program. Good.

Frustrated at political turmoil that has rocked the country over the past three years, Kuwaitis voted 21 new faces into the 50-member Parliament, reducing Sunni Muslim groups to a minority. There was no immediate official figure on Saturday’s election turnout, but the state-run KUNA news agency estimated it at 58 percent, down from last year’s 65 percent.

Four women candidates made history by winning the first female seats in the Kuwaiti Parliament, with one of them coming on top of the 10 winners from her district.

Liberals Maasouma Al-Mubarak, Aseel Al-Awadhi and Rola Dashti, besides independent Salwa Al-Jassar won seats in the new house. All are US-educated and hold doctorate degrees in political science, economics and education. [...]

The two mainstream Sunni groups, the Islamic Salafi Alliance and the Islamic Constitutional Movement, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, were dealt a heavy blow, winning just three seats versus seven they held in the previous Parliament.

Their tribal Islamist supporters were also reduced from 14 to just eight seats. Liberals and their allies improved their tally by one seat to eight. The Shiite Muslim minority emerged big winners, almost doubling their strength from five seats to as many as nine. Five of them are Islamist Shiites.

It's not exactly clear what the long-term impact of the election will be. Presumably, more voices will be heard in day-to-day government policies but, as I understand, the entire Parliament can be ignored, overridden or even dissolved based upon dictates of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

As civil unrest in Southern Yemen becomes more pronounced, the Yemeni government is scrambling to suppress the dissemination of the events. Seven independent newspapers were closed and charged with "undermining unity" for publishing the news. Read it and weep: Yemen Times

SANA'A, May 17— The government has prevented the distribution of seven independent newspapers for the second week running and charged its journalists with attempting to harm supreme national interests, triggering widespread condemnation from media and human rights organizations worldwide.

Up to 30 editors and journalists from newspapers Al-Share’, Al-Masdar, Al-Diyar, Al-Nida', Al-Watani and Al-Ahali, as well as Al-Ayyam, have been accused of inciting their readers to armed insurrection and posing a threat to national unity.

Based on a request by the Ministry of Information, the Press and Publication Prosecution last week questioned journalists from these newspapers, before charging them with, among others, provoking sectarian strife among Yemenis.

As the separate federal probes into a former senator and the former governor are emerging, Democrats are taking steps to replace the Republican prosecutor who is spearheading the inquiries about the highest-profile North Carolina Democrats of the past decade.

The President's fiscal year 2010 budget for the federal government was just unveiled, and, surprisingly, he found one agency that he thinks deserves a 9% budget cut: This agency is the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) in the U.S. Department of Labor. Obama proposed to cut its budget from $45 million in fiscal year 2009 to $41 million in fiscal year 2010.

Katie price could be sent to jail for sun bathing in the nude while on vacation in the Maldives. You'll have to go to ROA to check out the details and visual aid. You know, I don't want to waste mypetjawa's bandwidth by posting pics.

State television broke into its regular programming to announce Prabhakaran's death, and the government information department sent a text message to cell phones across the country confirming he was killed along with top deputies, Soosai and Pottu Amman.

Lets hope that finally after 25 years of war that those who died in the conflict on both sides will be respected for their sacrifice and that peace finally comes to Sri Lanka.

According to this report, a UN envoy has quantified the force of undocumented al-Qaeda-linked guest Islamist fighters in Somalia.

"There is no doubt from many sources covert or overt that there is a significant number of foreign fighters in Somalia from within the continent and outside," UN envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah told reporters in Kenya's capital.

"I have seen figures from UN Security Council documents, submitted by the US where they are estimated to be between 280 and 300," he said.

Fighting between al Shabaab militants -- who admit to having foreigners in their ranks -- and pro-government fighters has killed at least 139 people and sent some 27,000 fleeing the pock-marked, seaside capital since late last week.

Disturbingly, it's also reported that the new arrivals are training the locals on explosives and tactics while landmines, grenade launchers and rockets are being shipped into Somalia from unreported providers. There are so many bad guys, I hesitate to even guess where the arms are coming from.

(Citrus Park, Florida) Last week, the yearbook for Sickles High School was handed out to students who immediately noticed that the under-chassis of a 16-year-old girl was exposed in one photo. School administrators disagreed and said that the yearbook photo only shows a shadow.

Contrary to the administration's statement, the 16-year-old student said that the photo is the real thing. There is no shadow, she was going commando.

Over 2,500 copies of the yearbook were distributed in which the girl is displayed sitting in the front row of a group shot of the Sickles High School Pottery Club. (more)

Via The Spectator: Acknowledging what the blogosphere has known for weeks, the New York Times finally went on record to admit that just before last Election Day it killed a politically sensitive news story involving corruption allegations that might have made the Obama campaign look bad.

But the admission on Sunday, which came seven months after NYT staff reporter Stephanie Strom's reporting about possibly illegal coordination between the Obama campaign and ACORN last year, took the form of a snarky column from Clark Hoyt, the Old Gray Lady's "public editor." Hoyt used the word "nonsense" to describe the allegations of impropriety leveled against ACORN and the Obama campaign.

(Luebeck, Germany) A 36-year-old German man named Markus was boiled alive in a soup vat owned by a subsidiary of Campbell's. Markus was cleaning inside the industrial-sized container when the lid accidentally closed and jets of boiling water commenced automatically, a process used to disinfect vegetables.

"For reasons we have still not cleared up, the disinfection process started too soon," a police spokesman told the paper.

Let's face it, the left is a constant echo chamber. So this shouldn't be any surprise.

NEW YORK — New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd has admitted to using a paragraph virtually word-for-word from a prominent liberal blogger without attribution.

Dowd acknowledged the error in an e-mail to The Huffington Post on Sunday, the Web site reported. The Times corrected her column online to give proper credit for the material to Talking Points Memo editor Josh Marshall.

Emphasis mine. No scandal here, ladies and germs. Move along, move along. Even though Miss Dowd was kind enough to admit her plagriasm, the AP has seen fit to call this an error.

May 17, 2009

(Jefferson City, Missouri) To counter wild and rowdy partying on Missouri rivers and streams, a repellent to family outings, State Sen. Delbert Scott put an amendment on a large crime bill which bans beer bongs, Mardi Gras beads, kegs and non-bait styrofoam coolers on rivers other than the Missouri, Mississippi and Osage.

It's believed that the elimination of the beer bongs and other items will put a damper on rowdy parties. Most assuredly, banning the items will give law enforcers free reign to nose around partying groups. Violations will be misdemeanors.

Notably, jello-shots were banned in the original proposed legislation but the language was taken out for some unreported reason. Maybe the provision was seen as unenforceable.

The bill passed the Missouri House and Senate and was sent to Gov. Nixon for signature. Update your social calendar accordingly. (more)

(Goiania, Brazil) Police ultimately found all the parts of Cara Maria Burke while her boyfriend, Mohamed D'Ali Carvalho dos Santos, now 21, was prosecuted and convicted by a jury of first-degree murder.

On Thursday, Judge Alcantara sentenced Carvalho dos Santos to 21 years in prison.

The defense lawyer for Carvalho dos Santos said he may be eligible for release after eight years.

* * * * *

Boyfriend Mohamed, 20, Butchers Girlfriend Cara, 17, in Brazil[Previous 8/1/08 post]
(Goiania, Brazil) Police found the torso of 17-year-old Cara Marie Burke in a suitcase and are looking for the arms, legs and head. Her boyfriend, 20-year-old Mohamed D'Ali Carvalho dos Santos admitted killing Cara and even documented it on cell phone images.

The secretariat for public security in Goias state said Carvalho dos Santos and Burke were believed to have been living together in Goiania for several months.

"The crime has signs of premeditation: Mohamed Ali called Cara to his apartment, put the music on high volume and killed her with knife blows. He then took her body to the bathroom and then he went off to a party," it said.

"It was only the following day he dismembered the girl's body. He took various photos of the chopped-up body with his cellphone's camera, including photos like those of the Taliban, where the decapitated head is placed on top of the body," it said.

I wonder which will cost more? The new super sekrit bunker location that will have to be built because he released the cat. Or the new super high tech device that affixes to Joe Biden's mouth to keep him from from re-releasing the cat.

I've not really had a chance to look it over much. Of interest might be this Article from Younus Aldullah Muhammad of Revolution Muslim. Old timers here might might recognize him from Joey's "Rocky" youtube video.

Barack Obama represents an interesting American phenomenon that is the fruition of a form of liberal fascism that has been coalescing around the United States since the end of World War II. Certainly the policies of nationalism and imperialism never ended but, in the event they come disguised in slogans of peace and with a dictator that is loved all over, there is a very real possibility that the vision for fascist control over the entire world could be realized. Obamanomics is fascism and is the greatest threat to humanity today.

The release is here posted by the Inshallahshaheed (Sammy) user on Islamic Awakening. Formatted just like any other terrorist group release. It features and promotes just about every al-Qaeda figure ever known from Ayman al-Zawahiri to Abu Mus’ab al-Suri.

There is also an article on "America Bully among Bullies" by G.S.U. student Al(e)x Stewart.

I guess the Obi-One and three letter people are going to let Samir Khan, Yousef al-Khattab, Alex Stewart, Younus Abdullah Muhammad and their helpers in Dublin and other places f*ck around* till they actually inspire someone to mass murder?

Guess so.

Update: More analysis from Laura Mansfield who points out this quote from a section on how the al-Qaeda supporter should treat new recruits AKA reverts.

Now, I know the disbelieving media outlets will look at this list and make up some childish statement such as, 'Jihadists devise strategic list to make converts into terrorists'. My advice to them is: if you have a problem with Jihad, then you have a problem with our religion. Jihad is not just a strategic means to a greater political goal for us, but it is also an act of worship which Allah loves and sanctions.

Call us terrorists or fanatics; we don't care because this is our religion and we are proud to be on the side of the virtuous

(*ie conspire together with agents both domestic and foreign to lend aid and comfort to officially designated terrorist and terrorist groups, al-Qaeda and the Taliban, in their efforts to make war on the united states by producing propaganda and recruiting materials to aid them in their declared war against the people of the United States)

What terrorist are you talking about you fucking bitch. Imad Mughniyeh R.I.P, was a extreme souldier who killed all the people who were using violence.
Since Israel took over Palestine in 1948...Who is suppose to die?
Look at all these children and women dying from Israeli bombs.
Imad Mughniyeh is not a terrorist. Imad Mughniyeh ONLY killed people who tried to take over land using weapons and violence and disasters and extremes that no one would expect to happen just like Israel did to Qana in Lebonon in July 2006.

So get your opinions right you fucking ugly piece of shit.
Go suck your mum you bastard.

May 16, 2009

In the case of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a leading supporter of the waterboarding Inquisition, it's because she's an idiot:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has backed down slightly in her fight with the CIA, saying that she really meant only to criticize the Bush administration rather than career officials.

"My criticism of the manner in which the Bush Administration did not appropriately inform Congress is separate from my respect for those in the intelligence community who work to keep our country safe," Pelosi said in a statement.

Really? Are you sure Nancy? Let's look at the transcript from your earlier meltdown news conference:

QUESTION: Madam Speaker, just to be clear, you're accusing the CIA of lying to you in September of 2002?

PELOSI: Yes, misleading the Congress of the United States, misleading the Congress of the United States. I am.

A taliban car bomb ripped through a bus full of handicapped children and an internet cafe killing at least 11 people. Four children were killed and 8 other children were injured.

Just another example of taliban barbarity which targets innocent people. I'm not staying up for the protests across Pakistan against the taliban, the human rights groups to decry such wanton acts of violence and for the UN to issue one of its stern condemnations. CBS
H/T: WA

(CBS/AP) A car bomb destroyed an Internet cafe and tore through a bus carrying handicapped children in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 11 people and wounding at least 30, police said.

Pakistan’s interior ministry on Saturday ordered a state of high alert across the capitals of the country’s four provinces after the attack in Peshawar, capital of the troubled northwest frontier province (NWFP).[...]

Television images showed several vehicles burning fiercely, and a stricken white-and-green bus that had been dropping handicapped children at their homes around the city.

The eight students still on board were injured, one seriously, medics and police said. Four other children and seven adults were killed, and dozens more were injured, they said.

A rocket fired by the taliban hit a mosque in Khost killing 5. Expect protests across Afghanistan against the taliban, international human rights groups to denounce such barbaric actions and for the UN to issue a stern statement condemning the killing of innocent muslim worshippers.

Oh what? The above only happens when NATO forces are accused of killing people? Earth Times

Kabul - A rocket fired by insurgents from Pakistani tribal area targeting a US military base in eastern Afghanistan hit a mosque, killing five worshippers, officials said Saturday. Two of the rockets landed in open areas, while the third hit a mosque in Khost city, the capital for the south-eastern province of the same name on late Friday, Abdul Qayoum Baqizoy, the provincial police chief, said.

The rocket hit the mosque as the worshippers were leaving the compound, he said. "Five civilians were killed and six others were wounded in the attack that was fired by enemies of Islam."

This is interesting. Back in April, it was reported that a successful al Shabaab plot to assassinate President Obama would bring the wrath of the US on Eritrea because of its support for the terrorist group. It looks as though the Obama administration is still worried about Eritrea's support for the al Qaida linked group. More at ROA.

(Rotterdam, Netherlands) It is a real dilemma when the worst punishment to be imposed by a court just so happens to be exactly the same as the grandest dreams of a convict.

Therefore, it comes as little surprise that a lengthy term in a Dutch prison is preferred over life free in Somalia. Defense lawyer Willem-Jan Ausma said his client, a Somali on trial for piracy, is eager to enter prison.

"For the first time in his life he has access to a real toilet. For the first time in his life he is in a safe environment," Ausma says about his Somali 'pirate' client. [...]

"But he intends to send for his wife and children as soon as he is released from prison. He knows he cannot easily be sent back to Somalia. He loves it here in the Netherlands."

Ausma's client, Yusuf, and four others have admitted their piracy. Their defense is that life is hard for poor Somali fishermen so, in desperation, they became pirates. The Somalis will seek the sympathy of the court.

Pretty soon … you will have nine weapons states and probably another 10 or 20 virtual weapons states."Guardian

The number of potential nuclear weapons states could more than double in a few years unless the major powers take radical steps towards disarmament, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has warned.

In a Guardian interview, Mohamed ElBaradei said the threat of proliferation was particularly grave in the Middle East, a region he described as a "ticking bomb".[...]

"We still live in a world where if you have nuclear weapons, you are buying power, you are buying insurance against attack. That is not lost on those who do not have nuclear weapons, particularly in [conflict] regions."

Is that a reference to Iran?

He predicted that the next wave of proliferation would involve "virtual nuclear weapons states", who can produce plutonium or highly enriched uranium and possess the knowhow to make warheads, but who stop just short of assembling a weapon. They would therefore remain technically compliant with the NPT while being within a couple of months of deploying and using a nuclear weapon.

Thought the taliban only made money from the heroin trade? Times of India

ISLAMABAD: A major chunk of the whopping USD 800 million of annual illegal trade in gems, timber and marbles may be sustaining the activities of
Taliban in Pakistan's restive north-west, a media report said on Monday.

"It is not possible to put a definitive figure on how much the Taliban are making from their excursion into economic activity, but the government estimates that it is losing 65 billion rupees annually from the illegal timber trade and indiscriminate deforestation alone," The News said in its editorial 'Funding Terror' today.

Marble was their first target, starting in April 2008 when they took over the Ziarat marble quarry in Mohmand. [...]

The emerald mines of Swat were next. By late March of this year reports began to be confirmed that militants had taken control of government controlled emerald mines located in the mountains of Mingora. Swat is also0 rich in timber.

The U.S. government is already paying every no-load, gold-bricking malingerer it can nanny up to but that's not enough. Dead people are now on the payroll.

Maybe it's Chicago-style thinking where no one really dies, they just have community organizers handle their paperwork.

(Valley Stream, New York) The Social Security Administration is working overtime trying to send out stimulus checks by the June deadline and it's resulted in a bit of confusion -- or typical government incompetence, depending on one's perspective.

But when her son finally opened it, they saw that the check was made out to her father, Romolo Romonini, who died in Italy 34 years ago. He'd been a U.S. citizen when he left for Italy in 1933, but only returned to the United Stated (sic) for a seven-month visit in 1969.

It appears that the SSA sent out 52 million checks to individuals whose names are on a list. If there is no record of death, a check is cut. There was no record of Romolo Romonini's death, therefore he was sent a check. An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 dead people were sent checks.

More disturbing, though, is the simple fact that Romono Romonini was never part of the Social Security system so how did his name get to be added to the SSA's list?

(Nogales, Mexico) Here's evidence that a porous U.S.-Mexico border attracts people from everywhere.

Agents apprehended five illegal immigrants in Amado, near the railroad tracks and Santa Cruz River, said Mike Scioli, a spokesman for the Border Patrol. Of the group, three were Chinese citizens and two were Mexican citizens, he said.

In a separate incident, agents arrested an illegal immigrant, a female from China, in Nogales, Scioli said. Further details on the arrest were not available.

Rather than highlight the variety of countries that border crossers originate from, it's probably a simpler task to list the nationalities of people who don't sneak into the U.S. I would boldly suggest that there are few.

(Anderson, California) A 30-year-old local woman, Deborah Lee Towe (aka Deborah Stoneberger), was arrested this week for allegedly committing sexual acts with three teen boys, one in the parking lot at school, one in the parking lot at Wal-Mart, and one at her home. Towe is in custody with bail set at $250,000.

Also reported, a 23-year-old assistant softball coach at Payson (Utah) High School, McKell Shurtliff, was arrested last week for allegedly engaging in multiple sex acts with a 15-year-old girl, one of her players.

Meanwhile, a 28-year-old Oklahoma teacher, Stephanie Diane Harris, is scheduled to stand trial in August for the alleged rape of a 13-year-old boy who she reportedly lured via text message. Harris allegedly sent the boy nude pictures of herself via text messaging.

May 14, 2009

Unless, of course, you're four year old Josie Bluhm, who lost her life thanks to drunken, illegal immigrant Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine says 27 year old Eleazar Rangel-Ochoa has been charged with misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide and felony driving under suspension. Kleine says Rangel-Ochoa was in the country illegally and had his drivers license revoked following his third drunk driving arrest six years ago. He is being held for federal authorities at the Douglas County Correctional Center and will make his first court appearance on Friday morning.

This asshole had THREE, count them, THREE prior DUIs and they didn't know he was illegal? His driver's license, which he probably obtained using false documents, was suspended and they didn't know he was illegal?

He had to kill an innocent child before anyone realized he was in this country illegally?

Time to change the name of the show that hardly anyone watches? Hmm... it's possible.

One has to enjoy the red on red, leftard vs. leftard aspect of this story. Unless you're a leftard, of course.

If you regularly tune in to Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, you may remember that Olbermann was mysteriously absent from the show for three days at the end of April. But Olbermann didn't just "have the night off," as David Shuster, his fill-in, said on the air three evenings in a row. According to a source inside MSNBC, it was a bizarre temper tantrum on Olbermann's part that led him to storm off the set in protest. Even stranger: The drama was all Ben Affleck's fault.

Yet even in the midsts of all this rage I take solace in the fact that should "Rick Duncan" meet some actual Iraq and Afghanistan vets in some dark alley, that the real heroes will be in a far better position at doling out what "Rick" has coming to him.

A Pentagon employee, James W. Fondren Jr., has been charged with conspiring to give US Defense Department secrets to an agent of the Chinese communist government. Fondren Jr. was under the impression that the Chinese spy was an official from Taiwan.

Fondren sold the Chinese spy classified documents detailing U.S.-Taiwanese military relations. He could face up to 5 years in prison. USA Today

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A Defense Department official was charged Wednesday with conspiring to give U.S. defense secrets to an agent for the Chinese government under the mistaken impression that the agent was working for Taiwan.

James W. Fondren Jr., 62, is the second Pentagon official charged with giving classified documents to New Orleans furniture salesman Tai Shen Kuo, who pleaded guilty to spying for Beijing and was sentenced last year to nearly 16 years in prison.

Kuo, a Taiwan native and naturalized U.S. citizen with prominent family ties in Taiwan, has admitted that he masqueraded as a Taiwanese agent when in reality he was working with an agent of the Communist regime in Beijing — what spy-hunters call a "false flag" operation.

Prosecutors contend that between 2004 and 2008, Fondren gave Kuo classified information through "opinion papers" he sold to Kuo for between $350 and $800 apiece. Eight of the papers allegedly contained classified information, according to investigators.

(Dem. Rep. of Congo) The Human Rights League of the Great Lakes (LDGL) has issued a report which indicates that Congolese soldiers are seeking out pygmies (pic) to sodomize in the belief that supernatural powers are gained.

"The village chief was stripped and (sodomised) in the presence of his wife, his children and daughter in-law," said the LDGL, which groups dozens of rights groups in Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC.

"The children in turn were stripped and raped in front of their father," said the group in a report.

The Congolese regard pygmies as subhuman. It's strange thinking that supernatural powers can be acquired from a subhuman being. (more)

I don't support hate speech laws. Nevertheless, it's hard to drum up sympathy over news that an Aussie man was arrested over video of his antisemitic harassment of two Jews he posted on YouTube. Hmmm, I wonder if he could be....? Nah, couldn't be. Muslims would never say anything bigoted. They are, by definition, victims.

In the supermarket video, viewers see a demonstration by Friends of Palestine outside an IGA supermarket against their selling Israeli jaffa oranges.

I guess he could be a Lefty hippie and not a Muslim at all. I hear kafiyas are all the rage in drum circles.

Any one seen the actual vid? If you see it up at YouTube shoot me an email.

UPDATE by Rusty: Looks like he was just your typical Leftwing intellectual antisemite. The video of the actual confrontation was taken down by YouTube for it's antisemitic tirade which must have been pretty bad given the two vids linked by Howie above were also pretty bad.

I for one welcome our President's flip-flop on releasing photos of alleged prisoner abuse. There are good flip-flops and there are bad flip-flops.

Good flip-flops occur when a politician does the right thing breaking an earlier campaign promise to do the wrong thing.

I really don't care what Obama's motivations are either: motivations are irrelevant. His earlier promise to release the photos could have been pandering the nutroot base of the Democratic party, or his current position could be pandering to the center -- the vast majority of whom think he crossed a line when he released the CIA "torture" memos.

I don't know, I don't care.

Good job Mr. President. Now if you would flip-flop on the rest of your idiotic promises you might have won yourself another vote come 2012. Just start with revoking the "stimulus" package which is already leading to inflation -- what, you actually thought you could get away with doubling an already bloated deficit in a single year and it wouldn't devalue the dollar? -- and then just work your way backwards from there.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The U.S. Navy says 17 suspected pirates have been apprehended after an attack on an Egyptian ship in the Gulf of Aden.

The Navy said in a statement Thursday that Korean Destroyer ROKS Munmu the Great and the U.S. guided missile cruiser Gettysburg dispatched helicopters to aid Motor Vessel Amira after it came under attack.

(Mogadishu, Somalia) In a press conference yesterday, the head of politics for Al Shabaab, Sheikh Hussein Ali Fidow, said that foreign fighters from across the Muslim world came to help their Somali brothers and they shouldn't be considered as foreigners.

He said he considers "only non-Muslims as foreigners," but defended foreign Islamists in Mogadishu as "ready to liberate Somalia" and warned people not to label them 'foreign fighters'. [...]

There is no reliable statistics on the number of foreign fighters active in Somalia, but Mogadishu residents expressed serious concern about the number of foreign fighters seen publicly alongside Al Shabaab during the past five days of heavy fighting in the seaside capital.

A human rights group, Mogadishu-based Elman, issued a report yesterday indicating that 113 people have been killed since last Thursday in fighting between pro-government forces and the Islamist rebel groups, Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam. Another 345 have been wounded and 27,000 have been displaced from their homes.

It would be nice to know how many of the foreign fighters are Americans.

(Ottawa, Canada) The Canadian military is planning a propaganda campaign. The arguably overdue effort involves tapping into mobile phones in Afghanistan, sending text messages, and running contests to gather listeners to its Pashto-language radio station.

The capability, to be set up this summer, will encourage Afghans to sign up for text-message alerts from defence officials and to enter military-run contests awarding prizes to lucky locals, according to public tendering documents.

It will also let Afghans send text messages to Rana-FM, a radio station set up by the military in 2006, and have them read on the air, half a world away at the broadcast centre in Kingston, Ont. The station, whose name means "light" in Pashto, is staffed by Afghan-Canadians, and mixes messages from Canadian and coalition officials with news programming and popular music aimed at teenage and young adult listeners in Kandahar.

John Adams, the boss of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), Canada's secretive intelligence agency, said that a quarter of his organization's workload is tied up in the Afghan spam project. CSE plans to track emails and other communications to glean nuggets of intelligence.

However, one intelligence expert, Wesley Wark of the University of Toronto, doesn't believe the campaign will be of any help in capturing bomb makers or Taliban biggies. (more)

You let the government force you to stop doing something you enjoyed doing.

No.

I did not enjoy smoking. I hated it. Every day. Every fucking day since I realized that I was a slave to a chemical substance I've hated doing it. And myself for not having the discipline to get away from it.

Well, I did it, and I'm done. And, as an added bonus, the Feds will not get any extra money from me. The Government did force me to quit smoking, but only because their greed overcame my desire.

If you think I'm bullshitting you, go up to a smoker (whether you smoke or not) and tell them you just quit smoking.

I guarantee they'll say something along the lines of "wish I could."

The secrets to quit smoking below the fold...

Set a date to quit.

Get someone to quit with you. Preferably someone you can embarrass, and who can embarrass you. You may want to trust them.

The day you quit, smoke your last cigarette, when you put it out, throw everything out in the garbage. Ashtrays and all.

Chew something every day. Gum, straws cut in half, pen caps. Whatevs.

Put a rubber band on your wrist. When you get a craving, snap it. Instant ex-craving.

I certainly hope that President Obama realizes that release of these images can do nothing but harm his own efforts.

Via The Blotter: President Obama met with White House counsel Greg Craig and other members of the White House counsel team last week and told them that he had second thoughts about the decision to hand over photographs of detainee abuse to the ACLU, per a judge's order, and had changed his mind.

The president "believes their release would endanger our troops," a White House official says, adding that the president "believes that the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented to the court."

At the end of that meeting, the president directed Craig to object to the immediate release of the photos on those grounds. In an Oval Office meeting with Iraq Commander General Ray Odierno, the president told him of his decision to argue against the release of the photographs.

I was upset about the release of these photos. We've seen enough and to release them publicly outside the context of any hearing or trial is a mistake.

Even then the record should be sealed. Should they ever be released? Yes, probably in 50 years or so. Or until such a time as we are not in a state of war with al-Qaeda.

BAGHDAD (AFP) – A bomb fixed under the car of an anti Al-Qaeda militia leader in Iraq killed both him and his young son west of Baghdad on Wednesday, police said.

"Abu Ahmed al-Zobaie was killed at midday in a public marketplace in Abu Ghraib by a bomb stuck to his car," police major Hatef Mohammed told AFP, adding that Zobaie's "young" son had also died in the blast.

I see al-Qaeda's strategy of "murder the Iraqis till they agree to give their country to us" is alive and well.

(London, England) Inspector Gian Singh Chakal, vice-chairman of the newly-formed British Police Sikh Association, has called for research on synthetic fibers to manufacture a bullet-proof turban so that Sikh officers can fill positions requiring protective headgear.

Sikhs policemen desire to become firearms officers but can't because their religion requires them to wear cloth turbans.

Sadly, it looks like the trend is to ultimately have a designer police force where every peculiar belief system has its own rules and uniform. It's nuts.

In the anarchic days of the Iranian Revolution, Ghorban-Ali had found work as a prison guard in a neighboring town. There, he met a 14-year-old girl whom he wanted to marry. Polygamy was encouraged in Ayatollah Khomeini's Iran, but Ghorban-Ali didn't want to support two families, and did not desire to return his wife's dowry. How to rid himself of his "old" wife? That was the easy part. Accuse her of infidelity. No matter that her husband had not actually seen anything untoward, or that Soraya was completely innocent, or that her husband's cynical accusations were only backed up by his cousin, who as it turned out had been coerced into concurring with the vaguest of accusations: a smile here, a brushed hand there.

What court of law would find someone guilty on such flimsy evidence? A "sharia" court is the answer. And so Soraya was convicted. The sentence was death-death by stoning.

Who woulda thunk Spacebook, MySpace, YouTube etc., would be used to recruit and train jihadist, spew anti-semetic as well as neo-Nazi garbage.

This report by Simon Wiesenthal Center states what we at Jawa have known for a looooong time.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Militants and hate groups increasingly use social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube as propaganda tools to recruit new members, according to a report by the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

The report released on Wednesday noted a 25 percent rise in the past year in the number of "problematic" social networking groups on the Internet.

The report was based on "over 10,000 problematic web sites, social networking groups, portals, blogs, chat rooms, videos and hate games on the Internet which promote racial violence, anti-semitism, homophobia, hate music and terrorism."

The usual "there are so many sites it is hard to control" excuse by site administrators. I have lost track of how many times I have notified such sites only to be ignored. Until they get serious about shutting such sites down the number will continue to grow.

(New Delhi, India) A seer told an Indian father, who has seven daughters, that he would have a son if he quit bathing. Therefore, Kailash "Kalau" Singh quit bathing. That was in 1974. Yes, 63-year-old Kalau has not bathed for 35 years.

Instead of bathing and brushing his teeth, Kalau performs a "fire bath" every evening.

He stands on one leg beside a bonfire, smokes marijuana and says prayers to Lord Shiva ....

"It's just like using water to take a bath," Kalau was reported as saying. "A fire bath helps kill germs and infection in the body."

Kalau claims that his vow to not bathe is in the national interest and that, "I'll end this vow only when all problems confronting the nation end." (Good luck with that, Kalau.) However, his neighbors contend the real reason for not bathing is because he wants a son.

In any event, Kalau has had difficulty working with people who consider him to be "unhealthy." He lost his grocery store because customers quit coming. Lately, he works alone, tilling fields.

Dan O'Conner argues that Allen Greenspan started out good like Anakin Skywalker, but turned to the dark side. To be honest, I'm not against the Federal Reserve in principle. But it's rapidly expanding powers over the past six months are quite alarming and are a bad omen to those who believe in limited government interference in the economy.

A former top military official believes he may have the answer, however: let troops blog in combat, so they can ward off the accusations of atrocities as they fight.

Awesome! Hey Pentagon, call me.

Let me also suggest that taking an offensive position in the propaganda war is not nearly as difficult as the naysayers claim. The dozen or so websites which serve as the primary nodes in the Taliban propaganda machine could easily be shut down or, better yet, taken over to spread misinformation.

Cousin Joe, Sam, et al, you may be wondering how I did a l80 in 1 1/2 years. How did I go from a rabid, sanctimonious liberal whom you steadfastly avoided at family gatherings to a fan of Limbaugh, Hannity, and Savage? Recovery encourages us to share our story, so here's mine:

In February of 2008, I saw a new client, a bright and sensitive young woman who came in looking like she just escaped a war zone. In some ways she had; she had innocently shared with others at her job that she voted for Hillary rather than Obama. Immediately she was being targeted for abuse that put her in fear for not only her job, but her life.

Well that's refreshing, the maybe the political Pendulum has finally reached the apex of its leftward swing? One can hope.

If you think this is going to stop the march towards Gay Marriage you are mistaken. You will have tolerance forced down your goddamn hetereo throats. We WILL win in the end and you hateful fuckers will have to deal with it!

For seven years Pakistan has been pretending to fight the taliban while in reality they have been training, helping and aiding the taliban. Why would this change overnight?

When reading any articles about Pakistani forces fighting the taliban one must always refer to this article which illustrates Pakistan's double game quite well.

Whenever I hear about Pakistan fighting the taliban I remember this quote: “I cannot lie to you,” Namdar said, smiling at last. “The [Pakistani] army comes in, and they fire at empty buildings. It is a drama — it is just to entertain....America'

While the Pakistani military is inflating the number of taliban they kill, the Pak government and taliban are apparently planning a fake victory parade through SWAT for the army. DEBKA

While by no means a phony war, DEBKAfile's military sources report that accounts of a major Pakistan military offensive launched to flush Taliban out of their strongholds in the northern Swat Valley are generally inflated. This is not to say that hundreds of thousands of civilians are not fleeing the valley. Some half a million are on the move and will join the same number displaced since August, generating a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe.

According to our sources, the Pakistani army has so far not fought a single pitched battle with the Taliban. Neither have the insurgents been rooted out of any of the cities and villages under their control.[...]

Furthermore, according to DEBKAfile sources, the Islamabad government and local insurgent chiefs are in secret negotiation to arrange for the army to move "victoriously" into the main Swat towns of Mingora and Kambar without facing resistance. Taliban would retreat to the countryside, undefeated and with minimal losses. Both sides would then revert to the original deal for the imposition of Sharia law in the province in return for a ceasefire.

Then the US will give the Pakistan more aid money for their 'success' against the taliban.

After two mistrials, five of the six Florida men involved in a conspiracy to blow up the Sear's Tower have been convicted. ChiTrib:

Ringleader Narseal Batiste, 35, was the only one convicted of all four terrorism-related conspiracy counts, including plotting to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to wage war against the U.S. Batiste, who was on the vast majority of hundreds of FBI audio and video tapes, faces up to 70 years in prison.

Batiste's right-hand man, 29-year-old Patrick Abraham, was convicted on three counts and faces 50 years behind bars. Convicted on two counts and facing 30 years are 24-year-old Burson Augustin, 25-year-old Rotschild Augustine and 33-year-old Stanley Grant Phanor. Naudimar Herrera, 25, was cleared of all four charges.

This is very good news. Why? Because the accused had argued that since the plot never got the planning stages that they really didn't mean in and so they should be set free. If they had walked, yet again, it would send a signal to federal agents that juries would only convict terrorists after the fact.

And since prosecutors at all levels are reluctant to push for indictments against those they think will probably walk, this would then send a signal to the FBI and local law enforcement not to arrest would-be terrorists since they also do not want to waste valuable resources arresting people who won't be convicted.

I don't know if the ring of Miami Muslim wannabe terrorists were serious about wanting to inflict mass casualties. They may even be telling the truth when they claim they would never have carried out their plans. Nevertheless, if 9/11 taught us anything it is that we cannot and must not wait until the actual attack happens to respond. By then, it's too late.

Much of my criticism of the Left's preferred law enforcement model of counter-terrorism comes from the fact that the vast majority of law enforcement is reactive rather than proactive. If the law enforcement model is to have any chance of preventing terrorist attacks by homegrown jihadis then it is essential that juries convict on conspiracy charges.

In the post 9/11 world such plots must be nipped in the bud long before they ever come to fruition. And for that, any discussion about blowing up the infidel or pledging allegiance to Osama bin Laden -- as Batiste and his group did -- not followed by some serious chuckling or just kidding, bad sarcasm, my bad should be considered enough for an arrest, speedy trial, and a stint in a federal pound-me-in-the-ass facility.

It's always nice to link the New York Times when it's a story that the degenerate weasels who work there hated to have to write:

Update | 12:28 p.m. And back in New York … At the end of a nearly half-hour ceremony cum press conference, Donald Trump slung a glittery white “Miss California USA” sash across Carrie Prejean. Then they hugged and kissed.

It was a happy ending to what Ms. Prejean and Mr. Trump had described as a traumatic period of “abuse” of her because she had said honestly that she believes marriage should be between one man and one woman. Ms. Prejean noted that both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton share that view.

Note the scare quotes around the word "abuse," as if being viciously attacked for simply answering a question honestly is nothing to get worked up over.

Typically, the New York Times cares about free speech only when someone complains about the newspaper itself say, publishing diagrams designed to help Islamist terrorists kill American troops more efficiently, or exposing covert operations designed to protect their fellow Americans.

Via Laura Mansfield: The often captured, often killed phantom leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq has posted a message in response to claims by the Iraqi government that he has been captured. He says "nope, not this time".

We've a copy of the audio only message. In Arabic MP3. Sounds similar to other messages claimed to be from al-Bahgdadi.

Sorry this is a couple of days old, but I've been preoccupied with finals. As long time readers know, we have had a very public and long standing running online feud with the followers of Omar Bakri Mohammad.

Much of the shocking Islamist extremism coming out of both the U.K. and the U.S. can be attributed to Mohammad's followers. For instance, recall the rally against the Muhammad cartoons at which placards reading "Behead those that insult Islam" could be seen. These weren't just random Muslims outraged over religious criticism, it was a group of Bakri Mohammad's followers who organized the rally and handed out the signs to those that showed up.

So, even the mere hint that Bakri Mohammad faces the death penalty is enough to break out ....... hmmm, should we rip off Ace and go with cowbell or stick with the M.C. Hammer?

Stop. Hammer time!

Before you get too excited, the way I read the story it sounds as if Omar Bakri Mohammad has already been convicted, but yet remains out on bail pending sentencing. The article mentions that he was talking to his followers from a "secret hideout". I don't know diddly about the Lebanese justice system, but I find it hard to imagine that someone facing the death penalty would be out on bail.

Exiled hate preacher Omar Bakri faces death by hanging after being found guilty of training Al Qaeda terrorists.

Thanks to Glen.

UPDATE: Okay, some one with some knowledge of some of the details that didn't make it into the story emailed a few clarifications. Bakri was actually convicted in abstentia, so that explains why he's still out of jail: he's on the lamb.

But the Lebanese really can't be looking all that hard for him. We know he's in Tripoli -- the home base of al Qaeda in Lebanon -- and he continues to carry on correspondence with his followers from his "secret hideout" -- his house.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said his country isn’t adding to its nuclear arsenal and doesn’t have to disclose the location of its weapons to the U.S.[...]

Asked whether Pakistan would tell U.S. intelligence officials where all its nuclear weapons are located, to allow for a joint strategy to keep them secure, Zardari said Pakistan is a sovereign country.

“Why don’t you do the same with other countries yourself?” Zardari said in the interview taped May 7. “I think this is a sovereignty issue, and we have a right to our own sovereignty.”

Only thing is, Pakistan has been ceding parts of its sovereignty to the taliban. Probably because Pakistan doesn't have enough money to fight the taliban.

U.S. aid has not been enough, Zardari said.[...]

Zardari said the additional aid shouldn’t come with any conditions.

“I think it’s doubting an ally before you go into action together,” the Pakistani leader said. “We should have a result-oriented relationship, where I should be given a timeline and I’ll give you all a timeline, so we can both give each other timelines and meet the timelines on the positive.”

So $11 billion US in aid isn't enough for Pakistan. Maybe it's because most of that aid money has actually gone to the taliban! Zardari dares question our doubt about Pakistan's commitment to fighting the taliban.

The kid behind a DDoS attack against the Scientology website plead guilty today. A DDoS -- or Distributed Denial of Service -- attack is a coordinated effort to take down a website by straining that website's resources with information requests. Basically, it's a way to temporarily taking down a website.

The message here? Don't mess with the Scientologists! I mean, really: when was the last time you heard of any one going to jail for a cyber attack?

As a victim of several DDoS attacks orchestrated by Islamist hackers I want to know when DoJ is going to start going after these punks? I'm not holding my breath.

Specifically, the laws allow carrying loaded, concealed weapons in vehicles without any gun permits and address less-restrictive requirements for guns in employee and visitor vehicles on business property.

Been there, done that. I reckon Joey knows that certain three letter people find him interesting. So my take is that so long as they find him interesting his website is pretty safe from campaigns to remove it.

So if you want to surf Go Daddy's TOS and revolutionmuslim.com and write complaints, feel free. Here's the relevant quote from Go Daddy's TOS

Morally objectionable activities will include, but not be limited to: activities designed to defame, embarrass, harm, abuse, threaten, slander or harass third parties; activities prohibited by the laws of the United States and/or foreign territories in which You conduct business; activities designed to encourage unlawful behavior by others, such as hate crimes, terrorism and child pornography; activities that are tortuous, vulgar, obscene, invasive of the privacy of a third party, racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable; activities designed to impersonate the identity of a third party; illegal access to other computers or networks (i.e., hacking); distribution of Internet viruses or similar destructive activities; and activities designed to harm or use unethically minors in any way.

MUHMUD RAQI, Afghanistan – Officials and doctors say 89 Afghan schoolgirls have been hospitalized in the third case of alleged gas poisoning in eastern Afghanistan in less than three weeks.

Dr. Aziz Agha says scores of students have been admitted with symptoms such as headaches, vomiting and shivering. Afgha is treating the girls in Kapisa province.

Now if the US were to use poison gas, I'm sure it would be called a WMD attack by the great Satan. The Taliban does and we just don't understand why these noble savages want to kill little girls for learning to read.

A sophisticated band of thieves managed to steal personal information and more than half a million dollars from hundreds of New York City bank customers by rigging ATMs in what police say is further evidence of the continued assault on personal data by identity thieves.

In the meantime, Obama and his willing enablers in Congress shall be working on stealing trillions over the next few years. Of course, they already have your personal information.

I'm not saying I don't empathize with the victims of this heinous crime. I do. I just find it ironic that the theft of trillions is reported as a "national debt" and "deficits" when it's no different than what these hackers have done.

May 11, 2009

MADRID (Reuters) - Somali pirates are planning attacks on shipping using detailed information telephoned through by contacts in London, according to an intelligence report cited by Spanish radio on Monday.

The pirates have built up a network of informants in London with access to sensitive data from shipping companies about vessels, routes and cargoes, according to a European military intelligence report that Cadena Ser radio said it had seen.

Certainly will prove interesting to find out who these contacts are as well as who their associates are. Yes, indeed.

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon will replace its top general in Afghanistan as President Barack Obama tries to turn around a stalemated war, defense officials said.

The exit of Gen. David McKiernan comes as more than 21,000 additional U.S. forces begin to arrive in Afghanistan, dispatched by Obama to confront the Taliban more forcefully this spring and summer.

I know what your thinking uh oh bad news....but don't .....they are set to name Stanley McCrystal former Special Operations Commander who lead the hunt for and the killing of Abu Zarqawi back in '06.....its a choice that will cause some sleepless nights at AQ central.

A Somalia gentlemen accused of stealing, without proof, by AlQaeda linked Al Shabaab is without one of his hands now. Mohamed Omar Ishmael had his right hand amputated in front of hundreds of inhabitants of Kismayu town.

Just noting the debates around on the web. You know the Republicans should do this to be more appealing, no we shouldn't. Blah blah blah......

What might help is if the effing morons we sent to Washington had actually done anything, when governing, that even remotely vaguely resembled the crap they spouted when they wanted our votes.

What happened was the voters realized that Republican politicians are full of shit.

Until they are convinced that Republican politicians are not full of shit, you can kiss policy questions goodbye.

But you know soon the voters will realize the Dems are full of shit too. And I guess that's probably the route the Republicans will take. Rather than follow the actual doctrines in the line of shit they feed the voters, they'll just wait for the bullshit meter to go off on the Obi-One and the Dems.

Via CNN:Husbands are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly, a Saudi judge said recently during a seminar on domestic violence, Saudi media reported Sunday.

Arab News, a Saudi English-language daily newspaper based in Riyadh, reported that Judge Hamad Al-Razine said that "if a person gives SR 1,200 [$320] to his wife and she spends 900 riyals [$240] to purchase an abaya [the black cover that women in Saudi Arabia must wear] from a brand shop and if her husband slaps her on the face as a reaction to her action, she deserves that punishment."

Women in the audience immediately and loudly protested Al-Razine's statement, and were shocked to learn the remarks came from a judge, the newspaper reported.

That was nice the women shouted him down.

Still under Sharia, what would be considered joint property under our law is considered the Husbands property under Sharia. Even the wife might be looked upon as property of sorts.

Via Philly Independent Media Center:The issue of comity is raised in Islamic divorce cases when a person who resides legally in the United States travels to a foreign country and obtain a certificate of divorce from a religious court.

The intent is to obtain an instant divorce by pronouncing triple talaq (divorcing his wife three times in a few minutes.) Such an action leaves the wife with nothing more than a nominal deferred mahr, and takes advantage of the child custody, which discriminates against the women and to label the wife as bad Muslim.

The man then returns to the United States and serves his wife with divorce papers demanding the implementation of the divorce according to the Islamic Shari'a, claiming that the "doctrine of comity" applies to his case.

So basically if you are a woman seeking divorce or being divorced under Sharia law, you're screwed.

(United Kingdom) In hairy ape news, Britain's energy providers are soon to be putting a squeeze on orangutans and other animals on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

Plans are in the works to use palm oil, from plantations carved out of the rain forest, as a biofuel for power plants.

Conservationists and environmental groups have expressed concerns regarding the palm oil plan. Ironically, palm oil biofuel for electricity generation is considered to be an environmental initiative. Nevertheless, a Greenpeace spokesman said palm oil could be worse than fossil fuels.

In other news, an orangutan escaped from the Adelaide Zoo in Australia after shorting out an electric fence and making a ladder. And in Germany, an orangutan learned to whistle and has recorded a CD which goes on sale next month.

May 10, 2009

The Mother's Day edition of the New York Times provides a collection of opinions by women's health experts on how to improve the well-being of mothers in the developing world. A variety of useful recommendations is presented regarding medicine, counseling and education and all are premised on the notion that somebody should be giving developing-world mother's something.

In total, the ideas are worth considering, however, I contend that the listing of helpful ideas is notable by what it doesn't address. The chief difficulty for mothers and mothers-to-be in the developing world is to simply live. Just living is a necessary prerequisite to being a mother and it should come before, or at least along with, any discussion regarding how well that being is.

The Times skated on the opportunity to raise the issues of honor killings, infanticide of female babies and strapping bomb belts on young girls for man-caused disaster incidents. Through these practices, the developing world annually kills an outrageous number of mothers and mothers-to-be.

Gaza residents reported health problems after a 22-day Israeli offensive last January, with most citing psychological problems and stress, according to a survey published by the United Nations Gender Task Force on April 21.

With increased trauma and stress and limited access to professional psychosocial services, there is a rising problem of self-medication with unsupervised pharmaceutical therapies among the Gaza population," said a summary presented in Jerusalem.

One eighth-grade teacher, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said she recently found several 13-year-olds using tramadol hydrochloride, a strong painkiller sold under the brand name Tramal which is now drug of choice in the Gaza Strip.

A boy had stolen the drug from his parents' room and passed it to friends, unaware of its potency or the risk of addiction. A synthetic opioid developed by German company Gruenenthal in 1977 to treat moderate to severe pain, Tramal has caught on among Gaza high school students, male and female, said Islam Shahwan, a Hamas police spokesman.

There are rich profits to be made on drugs which pharmacists and other traders say can be smuggled in through tunnels from Egypt and sold for several times the purchase price.

Gazan's used as a human shields by Hamas certainly doesn't help the nerves any.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama has accepted the resignation of Louis Caldera, the director of the White House Military Office responsible for the controversial low-altitude flyover of New York by a 747 plane used as Air Force One, the White House said Friday.

The photo shoot, which President Obama said he was "furious" with, happened on April 27. The image of a low-flying plane accompanied by an F-16 fighter jet sent some New Yorkers into the streets and into a panic -- reminding them of the tragic 9/11 attacks on the city.

Building evacuations also took place across the Hudson River in Jersey City, New Jersey.

And all the photo below cost was 400k and a little panic.

It is a nice pic though, no?

If you look really close you can see tiny people that appear to be the size of ants running for their lives.

Assorted lefties and the Gay Mafia are all up in arms about this story:

In spite of President Obama's declared stance against the "don't-ask-don't-tell" policy that keeps openly gay individuals out of the military, the U.S. Army on Thursday told Lt. Dan Choi he is being dismissed for publicly revealing his homosexuality.

The standard line seems to be that we can't afford to lose people like Lt. Choi, who speaks Arabic, just because they're gay.

Let's assume that Lt. Choi is at least of average, if not superior, intelligence. From that, it follows that Lt. Choi was fully aware of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy put in place by the Clinton administration. Lt. Choi, not being an idiot, could assume that his superiors would take note of his MSNBC television appearance, in which he publicly announced his sexual orientation. And it logically follows that Lt. Choi would be discharged for violating the policy.

Therefore, Lt. Choi, knowing that his skills were valuable to his nation's security, chose to forfeit his military career, depriving the military of those skills, in order to make a socio-political point on a television show. Thus, Lt. Choi values his sexual preference subculture above his country.

Not only is this a monumentally dysfunctional decision, it brings into question Lt. Choi's judgement.

We just don't need platoon leaders, or linguists, with bad judgement and divided loyalties serving in the military.

We do not really hold what anyone does at home as our business. And that marriage is between a man and a woman just like Obi-One does. Other legal arrangements for odd couples can be arranged. Not a problem.

But after much thought and observation we have determined that here are indeed two types of gay. Well actually three when you count the "just plain happy" kind but I digress.

The first kind is Bad Gay: See below.

Bad Gay is defined here as any same sex relationship where one or both partners is either male (no exceptions) and or unattractive.

Whereas Good Gay is defines as, any two or more hot chicks engaged with each other. Also see below.

See how this works?

No? OK, for those who still feel the need to further study this Good Gay phenomenon I've gathered a few links for you.

For those who wish to continue study of the Bad Gay phenomenon, we have some examples, written mostly by Rusty and Vinnie I think, included further down in section C above. But I'm too homophobic to surf them up.

Sarah Palin's Alaska ranks highest among states for personal freedom while New York state is the least free. Newsmax

According to a new study released by the Mercatus Center of George Mason University, some of the most liberal U.S. states rank lowest when it comes to personal freedom.[...]

# he freest states in the country are New Hampshire, Colorado, and South Dakota, which together achieve a virtual tie for first place. All three states feature low taxes and government spending -- and middling levels of regulation and paternalism.

# New York is the least overall free by a considerable margin, followed by New Jersey, Rhode Island, California, and Maryland.[...]

“The problem is that the cultural values of liberal governments seem on balance to require more regulation of individual behavior than do the cultural values of conservative governments,” say the study’s authors. “While liberal states are freer than conservative states on marijuana and same-sex partnership policies, when it comes to gun owners, home schoolers, motorists, or smokers, liberal states are nanny states, while conservative states are more tolerant.”

And 325 jobs. But might have probably thought all oil companies were teh big evil-profit making multinational exploiting oppressors.

Via WTVW: Proposed new national energy policy could spell disaster for the local oil industry.

Mt. Vernon-based Country Mark refines oil pulled out of the ground across the Tri-State. And, the company said the potential issues created by the legislation are very real for them. One of the main goals of the newly proposed American Clean Fuels and Security Act is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But, it's hard to gain something without giving up something. And, small oil companies, like Country Mark, say they're the ones who will be giving up the most.

On top of the Jobs lost you can add a big increase to your power bill passed along by power companies.

IMO this is the bill that all the mustard controversies and other hypes MSM stories are designed to distract from. Both the FDA and EPA have declared they have the authority to regulate CO2 emissions if congress does not act. Obama was assisted the founding of a cap and trade market in Chicago.

This will hurt ordinary hard working Americans everywhere. Not just in the midwest.

Brad Ellsworth of Indiana's 8th district is working on some exemptions for small business. But these exemptions will be little comfort in the face a such a huge and sweeping increase in cost in dollars and jobs for everyone. This is the issue that will affect us all more than any of Obama's other policy goals.

See this is how Democratic policy actually works against the little guy they claim to be helping. Excuse us mid-western hicks for not wanting or needing that kind of help mister.

Half empty view: 515 attempted terrorist attacks in European Union alone last year with over 1,000 terror related arrests!

Half full: Believe it or not, the number is down from 583 the previous year and all but two of the attempts failed or were foiled by law enforcement.

Send a memo to DHS view: All varieties of terrorism down in EU (eg, jihadis, neo-nazis) with the exception of left wing terrorism which increased 25%.

No shit? view:

Islamist recruitment activities have largely been driven underground. Radicalization activities are noted to have moved from mosques and other public places into private spaces.” Jihadi forums constitute the archetype of such “underground” and “private spaces”.

Oh snap, it's time to invest in bombshelters view: The biggest threat to Europe now comes from jihadis returning from Afghanistan & Pakistan. As Pakistan continues to deteriorate and fall under Taliban control the threat increases that EU citizens will return with the know how to cause mass casualties.

Interestingly, Sheriff Arpaio offers to sit down with Sharpton to explain the circumstances existing in Arizona so as to help the Reverend "avoid further embarassment." Of course, calling Sharpton a publicity hound interloper who makes loud uninformed noises probably doesn't motivate the Reverend to be cooperative and sociable.

May 07, 2009

Just because I'm in a Phishy mood. From their legendary 1996 Clifford Ball festival at the decommissioned Plattsburgh AFB in NY. As one of the few right-of-center Phishheads in the neoconosphere, I feel I occasionally must represent. For those of you who are attuned to or are proficient with any kind of axe or instrument, admit it to yourself - the boys were just killing it on this track. If so inclined, revisit this post tomorrow night after a few glasses of wine - preferably aged pinot noir.

Excellent Op-ed by Debra Burlingame who is "a former attorney and a director of the National September 11 Memorial Foundation, is the sister of Charles F. "Chic" Burlingame III, the pilot of American Airlines flight 77, which was crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001"

This sums up how the 9/11 and USS Cole families probably feel:

Given all the developments since our meeting with the president, it is now evident that his words to us bore no relation to his intended actions on national security policy and detainee issues. But the narrative about Mr. Obama's successful meeting with 9/11 and Cole families has been written, and the press has moved on.

The Obama team has established a pattern that should be plain for all to see. When controversy erupts or legitimate policy differences are presented by well-meaning people, send out the celebrity president to flatter and charm.

Most recently, Mr. Obama appeared at the CIA after demoralizing the agency with the declassification and release of memos containing sensitive information on CIA interrogations. He appealed to moral vanity by saying that fighting a war against fanatic barbarians "with one hand tied behind your back" is being on "the better side of history," even though innocent lives are put at risk. He promised the assembled staff and analysts that if they keep applying themselves, they won't be personally marked for career-destroying sanctions or criminal prosecutions, even as disbelieving counterterrorism professionals -- the field operatives and their foreign partners -- shut down critical operations for fear of public disclosure and political retribution in the never-ending Beltway soap opera called Capitol Hill.

It worked: On television, his speech looked like a campaign rally, with people jumping up and down, cheering. Meanwhile, the media have moved on, even as they continue to recklessly and irresponsibly use the word "torture" in their stories.

I asked Cmdr. Kirk Lippold why some of the Cole families declined the invitation to meet with Barack Obama at the White House.

(Nashville, Tennessee) The Tennessee Senate State and Local Government Committee has approved a measure to support the creation of a privately-funded Al Gore statue to be built on the grounds of the Tennessee Capitol.

The resolution now goes for a full Senate vote. It was previously passed by the House.

Frankly, I think Tennessee lawmakers should adopt a more prudent approach and wait until history judges Al Gore's works before casting his image in stone.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Sukaina al-Zayer is an unlikely beauty queen hopeful. She covers her face and body in black robes and an Islamic veil, so no one can tell what she looks like. She also admits she's a little on the plump side.

But at Saudi Arabia's only beauty pageant, the judges don't care about a perfect figure or face. What they're looking for in the quest for "Miss Beautiful Morals" is the contestant who shows the most devotion and respect for her parents.

Ahhhh actually Suadi Arabia does regularly hold beauty pageants, just not the kind you and me are used to.

Like most of my posts, Dijongate could have and probably should have fallen into the black hole of internet punditry, never to be seen or heard of again. But the reaction from the nutroots was widespread and swift, and they have kept the story alive.

Check out the links to the original post, and you will see that many of the high profile nutroots blogs have linked. If you check out the links and comments, you will see that the full foul-mouthed, abusive intellect of the nutroots has been brought to bear.

And that's blogging for you, spend hours and hours sweating over a post and get crickets. Make a quick remark about Obi-One's mustard and boom, you're infamous baby!

Much of the first post and its updates were tongue-in-cheek to prove the point. It is beyond me how anyone could have thought I really cared that Obama used Dijon mustard in his Tuna Salad recipe, or that he had a Dijon mustard addiction. Did people really think I believed there was a "conspiracy of silence on Obama's allegience to Dijon Mustard"? I have said before, and repeat, that the first victims of liberalism are satire and irony.

A pre-emptive left wing defensive attack on anyone laughing at the pre-emptive left wing attack on those who noted the lefty leaning censorship of Obama's mustard preference. Its now a VRW mustard khinspiracy!

You know, I knew this would happen. How? Well I am a Sith Lord, so I see things stuff before they happen. Call it a gift.

LOL, wonder what we're being distracted from by this..... more on that later.

...that it's just wrong to try to hold a moderate position on homosexual issues.

The continued vicious persecution of Miss USA contestant Carrie Prejean clearly demonstrates that most gay men are too mentally unstable and utterly self-absorbed to function in society.

Heretofore I've followed a "live and let live" philosophy regarding homosexuality. It's not for me, but I don't want to see people persecuted for their sexuality, though I've never been comfortable with the 1970s political decision on the part of the American Psychiatric Association to pretend that homosexuality is a "lifestyle preference" rather than a mental illness. I viewed the resulting pretense that homosexuality could not be treated as similar to the controversy over whether or not the deaf should receive cochlear implants - misguided, but up to the individuals involved.

In fact, homosexuality is treatable; though the extent that treatment helps and the incidence of recidivism is open to debate.

I can no longer support the idea of civil unions for homosexual "couples." Congratulations, Perez, you convinced me to change my mind on that.

Side question: why is Perez Hilton such a huge snorting asshole? Is it because he's too fat, ugly, and obnoxious to get anyone to butter his muffin?

Update: It's extremely excellent when hostile commenters inadvertently demonstrate the point of a post:

...It'd be great if Carrie Prejean's husband will turn out to be gay and leave her, after he's sired 4 of her children. She deserves nothing less.

The Metropolitan Crime Commission filed a formal complaint against Mayor Ray Nagin on Wednesday, asking the state Ethics Commission to investigate two trips Nagin and his family took that were financed by a firm owned by a city technology vendor.

Based upon investigative work done by The Times-Picayune, it appears that Mayor Nagin was accepting personal goodies from a company doing business with the city.

But while liberal reporters and pundits debate the coming tax hikes -- usually in private and in secret -- their public announcements tend to simply repeat Obama's claim that he's not raising taxes on anyone -- "not a dime" from any sort of tax -- except the top 5% of earners.

Which they know is completely false.

What they say to the public -- scoffing at the Tea Party rebels for protesting tax-hikes that, supposedly, do not exist and never will -- is in complete contradiction to what they actually know -- know -- is underfoot and on Obama's agenda.

It's an open secret that Obama is going to raise taxes on the middle class. Every liberal in the press corps knows this.

How the hell can they justify failing to report it? The President is lying -- and the numbers prove that without any doubt whatsoever -- and instead of going after that easy-to-write scoop, they act as his press deputies, regurgitating a line they know is 100% false.

Most of your probably know by know that Britain’s Home Secretary, Jackie Smith, has released a list of people barred entry into Britain. That list includes radio host Michael Savage.

You may or may not listen to Dr. Michael Savage or listen to his radio show but you probably agree that he doesn’t belong on a list with psychopathic terrorists, banning him entry to England. What has Michael Savage done other then voicing his opinion on air? He never killed anyone, advocated violence, nothing of the sort. Yet Jackie Smith has seen fit to ban him from England.

First Geert Wilders was refused entry into Britain for his opposition to islam and now Savage is banned for his political views and strong opposition to militant islam. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

WBST TV: COLLEGE PARK, Ga. -- A group of college students said they are lucky to be alive and they’re thanking the quick-thinking of one of their own. Police said a fellow student shot and killed one of two masked me who burst into an apartment....

...Apparently, his intent was to rape and murder us all,” said student Charles Bailey.

Bailey said he thought it was the end of his life and the lives of the 10 people inside his apartment for a birthday party after two masked men with guns burst in through a patio door.

“They just came in and separated the men from the women and said, ‘Give me your wallets and cell phones,’” said George Williams of the College Park Police Department.

Bailey said the gunmen started counting bullets. “The other guy asked how many (bullets) he had. He said he had enough,” said Bailey.

That’s when one student grabbed a gun out of a backpack and shot at the invader who was watching the men. The gunman ran out of the apartment.

The best part, after Calvin was shot by his victims, he lay dying after running as far as he could, he called for help. He wanted the popo to help him.

A neighbor heard the shots and heard someone running nearby.

“And I heard someone say, ‘Someone help me. Call the police. Somebody call the police,’” said a neighbor.

The neighbor said she believes it was Lavant, who was found dead near his apartment, only one building away.

Call the popo, yeah right. Now doesn't that just drip with irony?

Very effective low cost justice for you Calvin. And when your partner is caught, there will be no one for him to roll on to get favor from the DA.

Update: Note that the image above was a mug shot, its probably safe to assume that Calvin Lavant was not allowed to legally own a firearm, yet he had one. Stiffer gun control won't stop people like Calvin from being armed, but it might make it more difficult for the young man who saved his friends' lives to be armed.

Within the past week, it's been reported that the southern border of Mexico is open. The Mexicans have effectively dismantled border checkpoints and traffic from Guatemala and south flows unabated.

Also,

Colombian authorities intercepted another vessel transporting 21 illegal aliens near San Andres Is., on the Caribbean. The Colombian flag “Antonita” was headed toward Nicaraguan shores and aboard were eight Somalis, six Eritreans, one Ethiopian and six Bangladeshis. Their two Colombian smugglers were also arrested.

This is the third time within the last two weeks that Colombian officials have intercepted vessels transporting illegal aliens in the Caribbean; the total for these two weeks has now reached 89. Officials said that in each instance the vessel’s destination was Nicaragua’s coast as a stopover to continue toward the United States.

It's not a stretch of logic to assume that the Somalis, Eritreans, Bangladeshis and the Ethiopian are all Muslims.

May 05, 2009

Just in case you didn't already know where Samir Khan stood on the "should American soldiers be killed for wanting to share Christianity?" question:

And this now gives the Mujahideen a higher spirit and greater reason to fight and massacre as many US Soldiers as possible. In addition, it will attract more Muslims to the Jihadi Cause to fight this Crusader Army who came to our lands to fight for their false religion. [emphasis mine]

Now, Samir will argue that he's not advocating the killing of American soldiers, but, come on. Notice that he uses "our" when talking about the lands in which jihadis fight U.S. soldiers?

Why are we jihadi’s [sic] quiet about the CIA torture memos that have been dominating the news in the United States? [emphasis mine]

I guess so.

But as bad as Samir is in inciting Muslims to kill his fellow Americans, his readers are worse:

--- May Allah destroy them through the hands of the Jundullah in Afghanistan. Ameen!

--- May Allah destroy them through the hands of the Jundullah in Afghanistan. Ameen!

Ya Rabb Ameen!!!!!

---If ye find not a sharpening block,
Sharpen ye then ye sword upon the neck of the infidel…

Takbir!

Can someone tell me why this doesn't rise to the level of incitement to violence?

Come on Samir, if you're really such a "tough guy" (pun intended, Sammy knows what I'm talking about) then can you answer one single question: do you support al Qaeda and/or the Taliban?

If you an answer that in the negative without redefining the words "Taliban" or "al Qaeda" beyond their normal uses then I will retract every post I've ever written about you.

If you won't answer, or cannot do so without so much hemming and hawing that it stretches the limits of credulity, then I am seriously contemplating a reassessment of my "do not publish Samir's home address" policy.

Hasselhoff singing in German while hot chick is seen nude and subtitled in Arabic? Check.

Pinch me, I think I must be dreaming.

You know, you think you've seen Eurotrip once and that would be more then enough for a lifetime. And then you see it subtitled in Arabic and, well, it's like seeing it all over again. Call me when it's out in Urdu.

It makes one wonder what all those satellite TVs in Saudi Arabia are pointed at --- and you know what? It gives me hope.

Radical Iraqi Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, is reported to have assumed the title of Grand Ayatollah after concluding his studies in the holy city of Qom in Iran. Sources close to the cleric's faction released the news to the Arab daily, al-Sharq al-Awsat.

Congratulations, Mookie. May you be blessed with a grisly, untimely death. Hopefully some time in the near future.

Just got word from the brothers that the man formerly known as Trevor Brooks -- and who is now known as Abu Izzadeen -- was released from jail yesterday. The brothers, as you might expect, are giddy as school girls. These would be the same brothers who routinely praise al Qaeda.

He received a 4.5 year sentence for helping raise funds for overseas terrorism, yet was convicted only a year ago. "Overseas terrorism" in this case being a euphemism for "insurgents" in Iraq trying to kill U.S. and British soldiers.

I would especially point out the chapters outlining the connections of Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, Osama bin Laden, and the Black Hawk Down incident which al Qaeda claims responsibility (although the point remains controversial just to how deep their involvement was). As we've pointed out in recent weeks, Aweys -- designated a foreign terrorist by the U.S. State Department -- is now a leading figure in the State Department backed government. Troubling, no?

Also, the chapter showing the al-Shabaab propaganda strategy is informative. As it happens, the report quotes Samir Khan's (quoted as "inshallahshaheed") reaction to the loss of several Shabaab websites. You're welcome.

The report further notes that Shabaab has designated the European based Global Islamc Media Front (GIMF) as their official media outlet. GIMF today is to Shabaab what al-Furqan was to the Islamic State of Iraq or what as-Sahab is to al Qaeda in Asia.

Samir Khan. GIMF. Why do those two things seem to have a common thread in my mind? Oh, yeah.

Cassy Fiano reports that some radical abortion advocates in Texas are pushing to lower the penalty for killing babies under 12 months.

Of course, leave it to a rabid pro-abortionist like Jessica Ferrar to see otherwise. She’s a Texas state representative, recently honored by Planned Parenthood and the proud owner of a 100% NARAL approval rating. She’s currently trying to force through a bill that would make Catholic hospitals be required to dispense the morning-after pill. Her latest bright idea? To decriminalize infanticide.

They believe that it is the national interest to release CIA "torture" photos that they well know will serve only as anti-American propaganda to our nation's enemies all over the world.

Yet they have decided that the photos taken of Air Force One over New York are far too embarrassing to release.

Even if it is the Air Force that decided the photos won't be released, Obama could overturn the decision. You'll recall that the CIA begged Obama not to release the harsh interrogation photos, but to no avail.

True foundation and education start in the mosques... Do you realize what the mosque is? It is a prime factory educating men to fear and please Allah; [it is] the prime factory educating Jihad fighters...

The mosque is the life of Muslims, and the symbol of their courage and honor...

The Palestinian fetus in its mother's womb, the Muslim fetus throughout the world in its mother's womb, call [on Muslims] to unite through fear of Allah, through pleasing Him, and through choosing Jihad and Resistance [terror].

Apparently no one is taking the allegations that he was tortured seriously. I wonder what it is about Arab culture that torture is always alleged? Is it part of a grand cultural myth in which all parties are expected to repeat the lies in order to sustain the myth? Or is the participant in the lie cognizant of what he is doing and repeats the lie in an effort to discredit the Great Satan?

On Sunday, the US Embassy in Sana’a issued a statement on the political violence in southern Yemen that claimed eight lives last week. The US stressed that “Yemen’s unity depends on its ability to guarantee every citizen equal treatment under the law...” What the Yemeni government calls unity, the protesters call occupation.

Since protests erupted in south Yemen in May 2007, dozens were killed, hundreds injured and over a thousand arrested. As police shot into the crowds, southern claims of institutionalized discrimination turned into calls for independence. After regional protest marches last week, Yemen began shelling of the town of Radfan. Some southerners took up arms for the first time.

Southern grievances include overt theft of public and private land by Northern officials, the embezzlement of oil revenues and the subjugation of the south after Yemen’s 1994 civil war.

Northern citizens outside President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ruling elite are just as impoverished and face the same brutality. The Yemeni military bombed cities and villages in the northern Sa’ada province countering an isolated Shiite rebellion that flared from 2004 to 2008.

The government withheld food, medicine, and aid from the 700,000 residents in Sa’ada- a practice Human Rights Watch called collective punishment. The US and EU were largely silent as 130,000 Yemenis fled their homes and Hashemite men and boys were arbitrarily arrested and often brutally tortured.

The state used jihaddists to train and lead tribal militias in Sa’ada and convicted a journalist, Abdulkarim al Khaiwani, of terrorism for “demoralizing the military” with an article about the war.

The bombing of Radfan may signal the beginning of a similarly brutal campaign in the south that deploys the deadly trio of bombing, blockade and jihaddists.

US efforts to repatriate the 94 Yemenis at Guantanamo Bay are at a “complete impasse”. The US is understandably concerned by President Saleh’s penchant for making deals with escaped terrorists and presumably by his open support for the “resistance” in Iraq, Lebanon and Gaza.

The state’s legitimization of the jihad ideology works to repress progressives, silence critics and short circuit reform. The official media casts both Shiite rebels and Southern socialists as apostates. Six independent newspapers have been shuttered including Aden based al Ayyam. Government preachers declared a holy war against the southern separatists last Friday.

After suicide bombers assaulted the US embassy in Sana’a last September, the Saudi branch of al Qaeda regrouped in Yemen. The country is a terrorist safe haven in part because Yemeni law does not criminalize jihad abroad or terror financing. As in Pakistan, aspects of the Yemeni security forces are subverted by al Qaeda and vast rural areas have no government presence.

What the international community must recognize is that the primary dysfunction in Yemen is the criminalization of the state. The current bloodshed in the south, the resurgence of al Qaeda, the northern rebellion all have roots in the failure of the state to act in the public interest. As Yemeni officials thwart reforms and subvert the law to protect illicit profit flows, poverty and frustration grows.

Corruption and embezzlement documented in 2007 totaled over YR 72 billion (about $360 million) but no prosecutions occurred. The quite substantial corporate holdings of officials - including the president – violate the law.

In April, President Saleh’s son (and heir apparent) was named in US federal court as the intended recipient, along with other government officials, of over a million dollars in bribes from a US telecom company. Yemen has been called a kleptocracy- a government of, by and for thieves.

Yemen is one of the most water scarce countries in the world, but the implementation of water strategies proves impossible time and time again. The city of Taiz gets water once every 40 days, and water barons reap the profits of thirst.

The electric, medical and education sectors are equally perverted by corruption. Half of citizens have no medical service, and what exists is poor. Over 70% of medicine in Yemen is either counterfeit or smuggled. Medicine donated to the Health Ministry disappears from the shelves. Three quarters of women give birth without a doctor. There is a lethal shortage of dialysis machines.

Unpacking regional concerns, piracy, violence in Somalia and criminal networks of drug smuggling, gun running and human trafficking all have a Yemen component.

The UN committee that monitors the arms embargo on Somalia found Yemen to be the primary source of illegal arms and ammunition. Yemen’s inability to stem the large scale arms trafficking is "a key obstacle to the restoration of peace and security to Somalia," the panel determined.

Weapons are also smuggled to Saudi Arabia and Gaza. Yemeni tanks appeared in the Sudan, and al Qaeda used guns registered to Yemen’s military to attack the US consulate in Jeddah in 2004. Yemen, the poorest nation in the Middle East, spends a third of its budget on the military. President Saleh inked a billion dollar weapons deal with Russia in February.

Narcotics from Pakistan, Iran and Syria, including millions of Keptagon tablets and tons of hashish, enter Yemen and flood the Gulf States. Yemeni children are sold to beg in Saudi Arabia and have their kidney's harvested in Egypt. In some border villages, one third of children are missing.

Poverty drives child smuggling. Yemeni children are among the hungriest on earth. But foreign aid, like oil revenue, is subject to elite capture. Yemen can't effectively absorb the aid it has and pays interest on unused loans.

The US supports “a stable, unified, and democratic Yemen.” Yemenis chose a democratic system in 1990, but they haven’t seen it yet. What exists in Yemen is a criminal enterprise that bombs its own people, smuggles weapons, frees terrorists and kidnaps journalists.

Solutions exist, and have been promised by the Saleh regime many, many times, including substantive decentralization, combating corruption and electoral reform. But President Saleh, in power since 1978, does not have the political will to solve legitimate grievances or they would have been solved already.

With Yemen on the brink of civil war and deaths in the South mounting daily, the US has called for dialog, not violence. However, many Southerners (and Northerners) have no confidence in Saleh’s ability to negotiate in good faith. He’s lied too many times and stolen too much. Two years of peaceful southern protests brought only tanks and bullets.

Dialog at this point requires regional or international oversight. Southerners have been calling for UN supervised negotiations for years. A caretaker government under the guidance of the Gulf Cooperative Council is another possibility. But almost any strategy is better than pinning the future of 22 million Yemenis on dreams of rehabilitating President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

They told me if I voted for John McCain, we'd have business as usual in Washington and would see corporate lobbyists cozy with the party in power write the nation's legislation on pressing issues that would favor their own businesses and enrich themselves with taxpayer money.

Democratic lawmakers who spent much of the Bush administration blasting officials for letting energy lobbyists write national policy have turned to a coalition of business and environmental groups to help draft their own sweeping climate bill.

And one little-noticed provision of the draft bill would give one of the coalition's co-founders a lucrative exemption on a coal-fired project it is building.

It's almost as if the party in power were not actually righteous moral crusaders or paragons civic virtue, despite their contentions to the contrary and their promises to "change" Washington in 2006 and 2008.

MKH: On the eve of the Mexican holiday, Obama on Monday had an event in the East Room of the White House with Mexico's Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan (sahr-oo-KHAN').

Obama joked that it was "Cinco de Cuatro," botching a play on the Spanish word for "four" when he meant to say "Cuatro de Mayo," or the Fourth of May. He tried again, but he still did not get it right.

May 04, 2009

She won considerable acclaim for her songs but had become a musician in the face of bitter opposition from her family, who believed it was sinful for a woman to perform on television.

Ashamed of her growing popularity her two brothers are reported to have entered her flat last week while her husband was out and fired three bullets into her chest. Neither has been caught.

Well, of course neither has been caught. They didn't have far to run in Pakistan any more.

What is rather surprising is that this happened to a married Muslim woman. I'll have to talk to Rusty, because I thought that once a Muslim woman was married, it was her husband, and her husband only, that ran the show. Not her brothers.

As the Taliban creeps closer and closer to taking over Pakistan, expect more and more of these stories to come out.

(Hubei Province, China) The Gong'an County government has instructed its staff to smoke 230,000 packs of locally-produced cigarette brands this and every year. Fines will be assessed for those government departments which fail to meet their targets.

According to Chen Nianzu of the Gong'an Cigarette Market Supervision Team, the taxes on cigarettes will stimulate the economy through increased taxes.

However, the smoking mandate is suspiciously believed to be a scheme to prop up local cigarette brands against intense market pressure from competitors in neighboring Hunan Province.

Frankly, this forced-smoking scheme shouldn't be surprising. When the government controls the economy, incompetence and stupidity are only ameliorated by a massive level of corruption.

Nevertheless, I wonder how the government is planning to verify compliance. The only guaranteed method would be for the staffers to turn in their butts or empty packs to the Smoking Compliance Department, presumably a new set of offices in the bureaucracy.

Um, so, U.S. soldiers are not allowed to practice their faith, the last time I checked which included the Great Injunction? It's one of the basic misunderstanding that Muslims have about Christianity. One cannot be a practicing Christian and be expected to keep ones mouth shut. It just isn't in the program.

So, when Islamists claim that a) Islam is the-religion-of-tolerance; but then b) subscribe to the sharia injunction forbidding Muslims from leaving the faith -- on penalty of death; it just goes to show that c) Islamists do not mean tolerance the way you and I do.

I have to disagree with Brachman here. If Muslims subscribe to conspiracy theories about Crusaders or are offended at U.S. military personnel practicing their religion then it's their problem, not ours.

It's not a perception problem, it's a you-people-are-effing-retarded problem.

Helpful? No. In the same way that the occupation troops demanding that the Germans stop with all that antisemetic nonsense probably wasn't that great for PR either.

But if Muslims demand that U.S. soldiers be subjected to sharia injunctions while in their countries ostensibly trying to help liberate them then at some point we are going to have to ask ourselves just what the point of that liberation was?

No, we didn't really go into Afghanistan to make it the Switzerland of Central Asia. But is, say, Mexico too much to ask for?

Here is a graphic video purportedly showing members of the Chechen branch of al Qaeda (The Islamic Emirate of the Caucuses) beheading another Chechen loyal to the murtadeen (apostate) rulers of the Russian province. The video was posted at the official website of the Islamic Emirate of the Cuacuses but is hosted at Blip.TV, where jihadis regularly post videos they know would be taken down from YouTube.

The most troubling aspect of the video may not be the very real and graphic images in the video of a beheaded Russian soldier. No, the most troubling aspect may be the warning of the graphic nature of the video accompanying posts at various online jihad forums. No, the warning isn't over graphic violence or outrage over the murder of a prisoner of war.

The warning the eHadis post is that Muslims might be offended since there is instrumental music in the video.

Warning: This video contains music.

Also, images of a Russian soldier who has been beheaded (allahu akhbar!)

They claim the Russian soldier is named Ahdan and that the incident took place in 2008. Ahdan allegedly kidnapped some people and the "mujahideen" attacked him when the ransom was supposed to take place. There's no way to know if any of this is true and I strongly suspect that none of it is -- save, perhaps for the name of the dead soldier. In fact, the text accompanying the video has some freaky deaky story that the "mujahideen" were poisoned by some orange juice and presumed dead until they miraculously woke up two days later. Right.

As always, let me explain why I show these images and post these videos. I wish to show those we fight as they see themselves. Remember, the jihadis who posted this online are proud that they beheaded this man. There is no sense of remorse or embarrassment for this obvious violation of the Geneva Conventions. They are animals.

WARNING: GRAPHIC BEHEADING IMAGES BELOW. IF THESE IMAGES DON'T OFFEND YOU BUT THE MUSIC DOES, PLEASE KILL YOURSELF AND SAVE THE CIVILIZED WORLD THE TROUBLE.

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Some graphic images from the video. Last warning!

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Here is the video. It appears to have been taken from a cell phone. If and when the video is taken down from The Islamic Emirate of the Caucusess BlipTV account, do me a favor and drop me an email at the contact link. I saved it and can repost.

A leading bankruptcy attorney representing hedge funds and money managers told ABC News Saturday that Steve Rattner, the leader of the Obama administration's Auto Industry Task Force, threatened one of the firms, an investment bank, that if it continued to oppose the administration's Chrysler bankruptcy plan, the White House would use the White House press corps to destroy its reputation.

While most commentators are focusing on the charge of bullying and the denials from the White House (and the firm mentioned) no one seems to be questioning whether or not the White House Press Corps, supposedly made up of unbiased journalists from the country's leading media outlets, would act at the behest of an Obama official.

The utter corruption of the Press Corps seems to be a foregone conclusion, with good reason.

Federal investigators are trying to connect those dots, sifting through Edwards’ financial records to probe whether he used any donations solicited for his campaign to keep quiet his affair with Rielle Hunter

It's not so much his hair plugs as his investments that are troubling. I can't comment much on the issue, but it would be nice if the muckrakers in the MSM would have given equal time to the Biden family's troubling investments as they did to the love lives of the Palins.

Laura Mansfield noticed this up at jihadist forums this weekend. Hope she doesn't mind me putting it up. I'd link to her but she doesn't have a post about it.

The person at the forum is quoting Al Qaeda ideologue Abu Mus'ab al Suri, author of Call to Global Islamic Resistance. Al-Suri claims that terrorism is not only tolerated in Islam, but that Islam demands terrorism:

Allah has given clear orders in His book to terrorize His enemies. Along with it came the Sunnah of His Prophet, the chosen one, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, consisting of his deeds, sayings and approvals. The Book and Sunnah have established the rules of this praiseworthy terrorism against Allah's enemies in clear words. In the Qur'an, Allah the Almighty says:

And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war (tanks, planes, missiles, artillery, etc.) to threaten the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others besides whom, you may not know but whom Allah does know. And whatever you shall spend in the Cause of Allah shall be repaid unto you, and you shall not be treated unjustly. (8:60)

The verse is clear in its text and unambiguous in its meaning. 'Make ready' means train for combat. 'Against them' means against your enemies. 'Your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war' is the shooting, riding and weapons. The Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, said: 'Indeed, power is shooting', repeating it three times.

Why this preparing and training for combat, the gathering of weapons, and making ready the steeds of war.? The verse itself has already explained it: 'to strike terror' means in order to strike terror, 'with it' means with what you have made ready for combat. 'The enemies of Allah and your enemies': They are the ones whom the terrorist act is intended for. 'And others besides': Means the ones who support and help them, or the ones who wait in ambush for you in order to attack you. When they witness your terror against the assailants, your resistance, and self-defense, they will 'be terrorized' and frightened, and deterred from attacking, without you even knowing about their determination to attack. But Allah knew it, and deterred the enemy through your preparation and through your terror against the assailant enemies of Allah. Allah the Almighty knows everything.

Thus, and in short:

This generous verse has ordered preparation for the purpose of terrorizing the assailants' and Allah's enemies among the infidels and their servants.

[.]
The one who terrorizes others is a 'terrorist' without any exception, and hence, there is:

1. An evil assailant terrorist.

2. A righteous terrorist defending himself or other oppressed people.

Thus, in the word terrorist we do not find any negative meaning when we use it to characterize the Resistance fighters or the Mujahidun. they are, in reality, terrorists towards their enemies, Allah's enemies, and His weak servants. So where are the ambiguity and the blame?!

[.]

From this it follows that terrorism has been commanded in Allah's book, and in situations where the Mujahidun are repelling their enemy and the enemy's terror through a defensive jihad. This is one of the most important religious duties. In fact, there is no duty more obligatory than this, except believing that Allah is One, as has been established by Islamic jurists and clerics. [We must grasp this] before the enemy's media terror and ideological terror captures us and makes us disclaim our identity, our Lord's book and the duties of our religion.

[.]

The most important terrorist actions against Allah's enemies, their leaders and a'immat al-Kufr (chiefs of disbelief), are to combat the chiefs of Kufr, as Allah the Almighty says:

But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and attack your religion with disapproval and criticism then fight (you) the leaders of disbelief - for surely their oaths are nothing to them - so that they may stop (evil actions). (9:12)

So the most important of the jihadi actions is the liquidation of their leaders, by killing and assassination. This was confirmed in a number of separate events when Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, sent Mujahidun units as teams and special units, 'commandos' of elite Sahabah. to assassinate leaders of disbelief (ru'us al-kufr) of his, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, time. These events are firmly proven. Among them is when he sent [a unit] to assassinate a female poet who was harming Allah, His Prophet and the Muslims by her poetry. So he ordered her assassination, and her tongue was silenced.

This is what Allah's messenger, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, did. A Prophetic tradition which we are proud of, follow, and imitate, and we regard those who condemn it as disbelievers.

At the end of his, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, life, Fayruz al-Daylami assassinated the head of apostasy in Yemen, al-Aswad al-Ansi, who had seized power in Yemen. He wanted people to turn to apostasy, so Fayruz assassinated him. Jibreel informed Allah's Messenger about the event while he [Muhammad] was on his deathbed, and delighted him by the good news. Allah's Messenger, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam, informed his Sahabah about it, and it is told that he said to them: 'al-Aswad al-Ansi has been killed. A blessed man from a blessed family has killed him'.

The assassination of the leaders of disbelief among civilians and military personnel, among men from politics, propaganda and media, among the ones who discredit Allah's religion, and among the supporters of Allah's enemies who invade the Muslims, is a confirmed tradition of Allah's Messenger, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam. It is one of the most important arts of terrorism and one of its most beneficial and deterring operations and methods."

Via NPR's Morning Edition: In his years covering the Middle East for The New York Times, Neil MacFarquhar spent time observing many of the customs. He describes some of them in his new book, The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday. He talks about his book with Steve Inskeep.

Hey Joey, can you have Sheik Faisal take a quick look at this or maybe this or this even and see about getting us an actual real live death fatwa. If not, we're going sheik shopping.

(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) Although he was arrested in Germany in March and his name hasn't been disclosed, an alleged al-Qaeda money man is now reported to have worked undercover in Malaysia for at least four years as an engineer in a manufacturing plant.

The 31-year-old suspect, a German national of Turkish descent, is believed to have acted as coordinator for the transfer of funds from Malaysia to terrorist groups worldwide.

Malaysian authorities are tight-lipped but it is learnt that checks revealed that the suspect moved funds to al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). [...]

A source said the arrest of the German national may be the "tip of the iceberg".

The suspect is still under detention while authorities from both countries sift through intelligence reports to ascertain the suspect's network.

It's believed that information obtained by interrogation of the al-Qaeda money man led to the recent sweep of terror suspects by British authorities which reportedly uncovered a "very big plot" against the UK.

It would be nice to put a name and a face on the alleged al-Qaeda money man.

May 03, 2009

(Guangzhou, China) Reports indicate that Chinese family planning officials are pursuing "illegal" surrogate mothers and forcing them to abort their children.

In the latest incident, Reuters reports that three young surrogate first-time mothers were discovered by authorities hiding in a communal flat in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. District family planning and security officers broke into the apartment, corralled them into a van and drove them to a district hospital where they were compelled into a maternity ward.

"I was crying 'I don't want to do this'," a 20-year-old woman called Xiao Hong told Reuters. She was pregnant with four-month-old twins.

“But they still dragged me in and injected my belly with a needle,” she said, reporting that the incident took place in late February.

She said the government officers had forced her thumbprint onto a consent form before carrying out the abortion.

Another surrogate mother, a 23-year-old from a village in Sichuan province, said officers made her take pills and then surgically removed her three-month-old unborn child while she was unconscious.

The underground surrogate pregnancy network has produced an estimated 25,000 children in China, primarily for wealthy infertile couples.

I would suggest that reports about China taking a less strident stance on population control are less than accurate.

In the hierarchy of challenges facing educators, "smoking in the boys' room" has achieved less significance as a discipline problem in U.S. schools, being upstaged by the decidedly more sticky issue of sex in the classroom.

A 15-year-old girl was found doing a 17-year-old boy behind a bookshelf in a Fort Myers, Florida, classroom unbeknownst to a paraprofessional supervisor who was surfing the Internet at the time.

I suggest that this incident has possible links, albeit remote, to what "is" is and the fact that President Clinton once said oral sex is not sex. Inquiring minds wonder.

The lawsuit accused Paterson, the former Democratic leader of the New York State Senate, of firing a white Senate photographer so that a black photographer could be hired in his place. And to make matters worse, the Post reported, Paterson claimed in a sworn deposition that he didn't see well enough to have fired the photographer because of his race. A spokesman for Paterson later dismissed the comment as "a quip, a joke."

Even the state's famously boneheaded liberals have had enough (the 27% who still approve of Paterson's buffoonery are in the "mega-bonehead" or "Keith Olbermann" class).

The real question is, why is the State liable? Why isn't Paterson himself coughing up the 300 large?

This story actually broke before Spitzer resigned in disgrace - didn't get a lot of MSM coverage for some reason - certainly not because of his party affiliation.

Mexico's chief epidemiologist said the World Health Organization was slow to respond to the country's warning about a health crisis that turned into a global swine flu scare and he wants an investigation.

Apparently, "having room to talk" isn't a consideration in global pronouncements. The explanation is obviously political.

The man formerly known as Joseph Cohen, known now as Yousef al-Khattab, in his own words. Americans shouldn't blindly follow the government like the Germans followed the Nazis, even though the Nazis were right about the Jews or something.

Hey, what's with the A-ha Take on Me vibe, Joey? We all know what you look like.

We started getting a number of hits earlier today from people searching for Samir Khan's magazine "Jihad Recollections". Odd given that the magazine was published in early April. But I guess Sammy is always good for a few hits as a surprising number of Americans are shocked each and every time a jihadist living amongst us is exposed -- even if it's the same jihadi over and over again.

The hits can be explained by this Fox article which has some good analysis of the magazine from Steve Emerson and Jarret Brachman. It also has this odd comment:

It is not clear what connection, if any, the magazine has to Al Qaeda or its followers. It is published by the “Al Fursan Media Foundation,” but FOX News could not find such an organization or a way to contact them for comment.

Hey Fox, call me. I have contact info if you want it.

And, yes, al Fursan is a real organization. However, it is a virtual organization.

Then there's this:

Whoever is behind “Jihad Recollections” has a strange mix of opinion with one focus: seemingly to spread the message of Islamic jihad at the expense of Americans.

It kind of makes me think that the article was written by someone who just Googled "Jihad Recollections" and didn't actually talk to either Emerson or Brachman but rather "quote" them in the sense that they're quoting their websites.

I know for a fact that Dr. Brachman knows that Samir Khan is behind al Fursan and the magazine as we've chatted about it on a number of occasions. I strongly suspect Steve Emerson knows about Sammy's connection as well.

In any event let me use this opportunity to remind Sammy that: a) he's a pussy and b) he's a pussy.

(New Delhi, India) A 21-year-old Muslim cleric at the madrassa of Kali Masjid in Hazrat Nizamuddin, Mohammad Shehzad, was arrested earlier today for allegedly sodomizing a 10-year-old boy. Shehzad began teaching at the madrassa two weeks ago.

The police said the boy could only muster the courage to tell his mother about the incident Thursday.

The boy’s mother along with few other locals then went to the madrassa and thrashed the cleric.

Meet Amir Abu Zarr, a former Chechen jihadi who somehow couldn't get back into Russia from Turkey and is now fighting in Afghanistan.

Someone call the "experts" over at the State Department who continue to claim that the ongoing Chechen conflict has nothing to do with the global jihad, that the fighters there are not connected to al Qaeda, and that we should all just move along and shut our pie holes because Chechnya is just a local nationalistic movement!

Also, it appears that Abu Zarr is some kind of magical elf. Look at the ears.

Note to jihadis from the ghost of George S. Patton: Now, I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.

Note from Rusty: Ignore Patton's advice. We have a mutual interest in you becoming a shahid.

An interview with Haji Muslim Khan, the spokesman of Tehrik-e-Taliban Swat Valley (Pakistan). When asked about the "moderate Taliban" versus "hardline Taliban", Khan begins laughing and replies, "No, there is no difference... they are the same."

We already knew that the Obama administration plans on releasing members of al Qaeda's Chinese branch into the US as early as next week, so this isn't "news" in that sense. But apparently the FBI and Department of Homeland Security were so put off by the irrational decision that they tried to appeal to the grown ups in the White House a second time and get Obama to reconsider.

In reality what this probably means is these two guys will never be able to travel outside the United States again as Euroweenie judges continue their witch hunt against any American who may have ever abused Khalid Shiekh Mohammad by correctly pointing out that his mother was a goat.

The Blotter's stories have become more and more shoddy. As Goldfarb points out, the ABC report which outs the two operatives was outsourced to a stringer who gets some of the basic facts of the story wrong.

But the real question here is which Obama will react to the leak? Will it be the Obama that promised to protect the men and women who clandestinely serve our national security? Or will it be the Obama that promised to prosecute those same men and women? As Goldfarb notes:

Will the Obama administration investigate who leaked their identities? Or is it now open-season on Americans who were only doing what their government asked of them in order to protect their country from attack?

Ha! That's one of those rhetorical questions meant to evoke chuckles, right?

...as one would expect, being that tax credits are not tax cuts. They're the equivalent of no-interest loans that are paid back a little each year at tax time. If the government overpays you, you have to repay it. DUH.

Add the cost of Medicare and Social Security, the upcoming cap-and-trade energy tax, eventual increases in gas prices, the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, "universal health care," bailouts, growing government and bureaucracy, his unprecedented and irresponsible trillion+ budgets, etc., and you have all of the makings of a catastrophic failure of a 'interesting" tenure for Barry.

Ali al-Marri, 43, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of conspiring to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization. A second charge of providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization was dropped.

al-Marri met frequently with KSM and other high level al-Qaeda operatives. His task was to provide support to other al-Qaeda operatives planning post 9/11 attacks.

His lawyers are trying to get him credit for time served in military custody as well as federal custody. He's been held a total of 6 1/2 years already. If he is sentenced to 15 years that means he'll have about another 6 or 7 years left to serve. Federal sentences require the prisoner serve at least 90 percent of his sentence before parole.

One can only hope that when he is released he is promptly deported back to Qatar. Yes he's from our ally Qatar.

UPDATE BELOW JUMP (For fun, see a detailed description of what he did, and what began to happen to the case once the left got involved) --->

Here's what he did (from the AP):

Al-Marri admitted he trained in al-Qaida camps and stayed in al-Qaida safe houses in Pakistan between 1998 and 2001, where he learned how to handle weapons and how to communicate by phone and e-mail using code.

He also admitted meeting and having regular contact with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, and with Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi, who allegedly helped the Sept. 11 hijackers with money and Western-style clothing.

Al-Marri, a legal U.S. resident, was arrested in late 2001 while studying at Bradley in Peoria after federal authorities alleged he was tied to organizers of the 2001 attacks.

[...]

Al-Marri got a bachelor's degree in business management administration from Bradley in 1991, then went to work for a bank in Qatar. The government said he met with Osama bin Laden in the summer of 2001 and was sent to the U.S. to help al-Qaida operatives carry out post-Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Al-Marri obtained a student visa and returned to the U.S. the day before terrorists crashed two hijacked passenger planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Here's what happened when the left got involved and tried to get this terrorist off the hook while pretending they were doing everyone a public service:

The Bush administration declared al-Marri an "enemy combatant" in 2003 and held him without charges for more than five years at a Navy brig in South Carolina. His attorneys claim he was tortured there.

The "enemy combatant" designation was dropped when he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Illinois. He was moved to a federal prison in Pekin, Ill., just outside Peoria, in March, and remains there.

Holder said President Barack Obama ordered him to review the al-Marri case shortly after Obama took office in January.